Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Sunday - April 14, 2013
From: McAllen, TX
Region: Select Region
Topic: Pruning, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Pruning Lyreleaf Sage from McAllen TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I planted a few Lyre Leaf Sage last year and they bloomed beautifully. I let them seed out and had a number of new plants show up this year. I have never cut the flower/seed stalks back and now that it's getting to be that time of year for them to begin flowering again, I don't see anything that looks like a new flower is developing, just the the old dried and empty seed "pods". Will they flower on their own or do I need to cut back the old stalks in order to promote flowering?ANSWER:
Salvia lyrata (Lyreleaf sage) is an evergreen perennial plant that makes a very good groundcover, so it's an excellent choice. It blooms from March to June. We ordinarily recommend that perennials be pruned some in the winter, but with an evergreen plant that grows so low it's hard to know when to do so. Even though this USDA Plant Profile Map does not show Lyreleaf sage as being native to Hidalgo County, we have read the growing conditions for it on the webpage, which you can read by clicking on the weblink, and we feel that you still have appropriate conditions for the plant. It can get by on low to medium amounts of moisture as well as sun, part shade or shade. The only possibility we can think of for it to not be blooming yet is that the plants that grew from last year's seeds are not the ones blooming. Perennials being grown from seed ordinarily do not bloom until their second season. Any time you see a spent seed pod or even just fading blooms, just snip it off, as this will encourage further blooming. Also, even though they can tolerate shade, almost any blooming plant will bloom better in the sun.
From the Image Gallery
More Pruning Questions
Growing Grapes in Southern Texas on an Arbor
July 02, 2014 - I've redirected several grape vines (from the top third of a broken oak tree) onto an arbor. The base of the vine is about 3 or 4 inches in diameter. Is it feasible to work with (prune) the smaller b...
view the full question and answer
Failure of older branches on Bauhinia lunarioides to thrive
April 27, 2008 - We planted a sapling of the Anacacho Orchid Tree (Bauhinia lunarioides) winter (Jan, Feb?) and now it has leaves and blooms - but only off of new branches near its trunk, as the old branches haven't ...
view the full question and answer
Problems with Anacacho Orchid tree in Austin
May 17, 2010 - I have an Anacacho Orchid that is about 9ft tall. It is early May and has not started to put out leaves yet on the old growth. I can't even see any noticeable buds yet. It is still alive because I ha...
view the full question and answer
Sad Germanders in Johnson City Texas
September 16, 2011 - I have some grey bush germanders that never seem to do well although they did at first when I planted them four years ago. They have sun and dappled shade on the south side of the house. A friend in ...
view the full question and answer
Bignonia capreolata with brown leaves in Pennsylvania
April 24, 2009 - 3 year old crossvine leaves brown and dead looking. Will it come back and bud out? Crossvine on fence southern exposure. Crossvine on fence in another area has leaves and are dark green/purple - sa...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |