Dead Sage

[bobby280]

I had a tub with sage and mint in and left it out over winter as most people I asked seemed to think would be ok. Think due to the very cold winter and persistent snow the sage has died. They both looked dead but the mint is now looking very good (although my lemon mint or whatever it is has not shown any signs of recovery yet) whereas the sage doesn't seem to be sprouting or doing anything. Is it dead? Should I give up on it or is there anything I can do to help it?

Cheers.

[pelmetman]

Our sage, which is in pots, was looking very sorry for itself so I cut it down to about a couple of inches above the soil a few weeks ago and it is starting to throw out new growth. You should be able to tell if it is dead or alive by breaking off a few pieces to see if there is any green in the stems, if so they are alive.

As for the mint, ours is only just starting to shoot so I should keep it well watered and hopefully it will start to appear soon.
Sue

[grahamhobbs]

Sage is always marginal over winter, best to give some protection to be sure.

[bobby280]

Is there a thanks button here? Thanks anyway. Do you think it would be too late to cut the sage back now?

[pelmetman]

As it looks poorly anyway you've nothing to lose if you cut it back now.
Sue

[Silver Ether]

I have lost mine in tubs the last two years ... been ok before so this time putting it in the ground...

[bobby280]

Thanks all round. My nan has had one in a tub for about 5 years and it's ok. I'm near heart-broken over mine. Oh to see it last September, what a lustrous, large-leaved bush it was.

[theabsinthefairy]

I thought that my sage was dead after the long snowy winter, but it has over the last week started to throw out a few leaves. You don't say where you are, but maybe give it another couple of weeks of spring sun. I cut mine at all times of the year and it doesn't seem to affect its growth. Come spring I normally just snap off the dead branches and it grows back up from the root base.

photo here:
http://theabsinthefairy.blogspot.com/20 ... e-fun.html

[bobby280]

I'm in Leeds. Have cut it back, give it a good water and crossed my toes. Thanks again for the advice. Coriander on the window is going wonders. I have an obsession with herbs. Maybe I should go into a more lucrative product!

[Mrs Moustoir]

I've lost my sage and a big rosemary bush this winter - both usually do OK but not this year.

Coriander crisis too - just sowed a third lot of seeds as the previous ones have been eaten by mice, leaving just the husk of the seed behind.

Exotic tastes these Breton mice.

[citizentwiglet]

I'm in Scotland, and our winter was dire. After 25 days of snow and ice, I gave up counting.

My sage is dead as a dodo. My big rosemary ain't looking too grand either, but she was about 5 years old and in a pot - the same pot, I should have repotted her years ago, she'd started getting woody - this winter has pretty much polished her off. I have kept them both, just in case, but bought replacements that have gone straight into my potager border in front of the window. I just don't want to consider them really dead yet - you never know what might happen.

Mind you, the winter seems to have killed our rampantly bonkers, inherited fuschia bush. I thought nothing could kill a fuschia, I thought they were the cockroach of the shrub world.

[Gem]

I had 2 sage bushes in pots, one died one didn't.

I do find that my herbs do better in BIG pots. Any that were in smallish pots died off and those who had the big pots managed to survive (even my poor mint which was pinched and used as a firework base before I retrieved it ).

I guess the more soil packed around the roots the better..

Gem

[theabsinthefairy]

I don't put any of my herbs in pots, I find that if they are going to survive they will do so with the wider and deeper root network they can develop in the garden, and the seeds seem to survive better in the ground under an insulating layer of snow too.

[Millymollymandy]

My big old rosemary is flowering like I've never seen it before but that could be bad news as sometimes they do that then die! I've already cut off the dead branches. Lost the younger ones but the babies that self seeded in the gravel are still alive. My sage looks the most sad it has ever done and it never flowers very well but is enormous and I cut it back by about a half every year or else it would swamp everything else.

Coriander I have no probs with as I've just come back from my hols and my veg patch as usual is full of (amongst the usual weeds), coriander, dill and pumpkins and as per usual spuds coming up in both last year's spud patch and even some in the patch from 2 years ago!!!

[Gem]

Oh no! My rosemary is in a big flower bloom as well! I have had it in bigger and bigger pots for about 5 years and it has never flowered like this before. Hope it doesn't die off!