• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Me
A Cook And Her Books
  • STORIES
    • GARDEN
    • FOOD
    • DIY
    • TRAVEL
    • ART
  • CONTACT
  • Home
  • About Me
A Cook and Her Books logo

A Cook And Her Books

Your SUPER-powered WP Engine Site

  • STORIES
    • GARDEN
    • FOOD
    • DIY
    • TRAVEL
    • ART
  • CONTACT
Red pineapple sage growing in a garden bed

Filed Under: Garden Tagged With: herbs, master gardener

Grow Pineapple Sage in Your Garden

April 25, 2024 By Lucy Mercer Leave a Comment

Spring gardening is all about instant gratification, and who can blame us? We’ve been through a cold, dark season staring out our windows at landscapes cloaked in varying shades of brown. We want colorful flowers and we want them now.

I have a suggestion to make for your next trip to the Garden Center. As you’re filling your cart with instant-impact annuals like begonias and impatiens, head over to the herb display and look for pineapple sage seedlings and pick up a few for your summer garden. Pineapple sage is not here for instant gratification. It’s a small-ish herb seedling with soft leaves that smell slightly like pineapple. You may think that’s the reason you grow pineapple sage. While the fragrance is nice, the real reason. you plant pineapple sage is for the striking red flowers that emerge late in summer.

Grow Pineapple Sage in Full Sun

Red pineapple sage in a garden
Bright red pineapple sage blooms bring the pollinators into my garden. Photo by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Pineapple sage is a ridiculously slow-growing plant. Most every year I plant it, I forget that it’s there until August. And that’s when I look at it and say, “it’s about time you did something like bloom, don’t you think?” I don’t think the plants really hear me, so it’s just coincidental, I’m sure, that pineapple sage starts flowering as September approaches. By this time, the 4-inch high seedlings have ballooned to 3-feet high and wide shrubs. It’s crazy. From September to our typical first frost in late October, pineapple sage sends up plumes of cardinal red flowers that beckon the hummingbirds to stop for the buffet on their southward migration.

In my zone 8a garden, I get the bonus of perennial pineapple sage. We’re on the northern edge of its hardiness zone, but so far pineapple sage returns for me each spring.

Plant Pineapple Sage in Spring for Late Summer Blooms

Pots of pineapple sage seedlings
Pots of golden pineapple sage seedlings ready for planting. Photo by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

This spring, at the Cobb County Master Gardener’s Plant Sale, I bought 8 pineapple sage seedlings. That sounds extravagant, I know. My plan is to place them in my new full sun garden near the mailbox. I plan to move the seedlings to gallon sized pots for a month or so, then plant them in-ground. I envision a hedge of pineapple sage in September, beckoning the hummingbirds to pause and refresh on their way south.

Pineapple Sage in Your Garden

If you have a sunny spot with 6 to 8 hours of summer sunlight, plant pineapple sage. It grows well in large pots, but be sure to give it room to grow and keep it watered. Pineapple sage can be drought-tolerant and it will let you know when it’s ready for hydration. The leaves will flop over and you’ll be convinced you’ve killed the thing. Usually, a refreshing drink of water is enough to revive it.

You can harvest pineapple sage leaves and use them to make herbal teas. I like clipping the blooms and adding them to fall flower bouquets.

At the end of the season, leave pineapple sage stems and leaves for beneficial insect habitat. In colder zones, add compost and mulch to the base to protect it while it’s dormant during the winter. In early spring, cut back the branches and let the plant revive for a new season.

More Gardening Stories from A Cook and Her Books

Your Georgia Garden in May
Plan to Plant for Pollinators in Your Garden

Join the Conversation

Let’s talk about gardening and more on Instagram and Facebook. I’d love to hear from you!

« Previous Post
Grow Oaks from Acorns
Next Post »
Fresh Cut Flowers Tips

About the Author

Lucy Mercer

Subscribe to A Cook And Her Books Monthly Newsletter!

Privacy Policy

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Quick Links

  • Home
  • About
  • Stories
  • Contact

Read More Stories!

  • Garden
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Travel
  • Art

Contact Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn

Sign Up Now For More!

Subscribe to my monthly newsletter for fresh tips on gardening, food and books delivered to your inbox.

* indicates required

Copyright © 2025 Lucy Mercer. All images and words belong to Lucy Mercer unless otherwise attributed and may not be reproduced without written permission.

Privacy Policy · Sitemap