SOWING INSTRUCTIONS
Depth:
1/16"; requires light
Starting Indoors:
Start 6-8 weeks before last frost. Use a sterile seed starting mix and cover lightly with vermiculite to retain humidity. Keep at 60-70°F. Water from the bottom by placing in a tray so that the water is soaked up instead of wetting the foliage.
Starting Outdoors:
Direct sow after all danger of frost has passed.
PLACEMENT & CULTIVATION
Silver sage has pillows of softly felted leaves that lie on the surface of the soil in a swirl or rosette the first year of growth—admired for their silvery, light-reflecting ways. Then, in the second year, flowering stalks push upward to three feet and burst forth with a candelabra of white flowers that seem to celebrate the end of the long wait devoid of bloom. Cut back the flowering stalk after flowering to help it become perhaps a short-lived perennial, or allow nature to take its course, ripening seeds and letting them fall to be ready for the next season.
Watering Details:
About 1" per week; do not overwater.
Fertilizer:
If soil is poor, mix in about 2" of compost before planting. Do not overfertilize.
Diseases & Pests:
Prevent munching by slugs and snails by sprinkling some diatomaceous earth or crushed eggshells on the soil surrounding the plant.
