I always underestimate pineapple sage...and it's kinda cool
While in our side garden the one near the front sidewalk is only a few feet high, here in the back garden it's exploded to a dreamy shrub-sized plant of nearly five feet in height and several feet wide...and I have three of them which I picked up as small starts in late spring. Needless to say, it's a huge hit for the hummingbirds - and the timing couldn't be better, as the explosion in color came immediately after the Queen Victoria lobelias finished up in dramatic fashion.
I've been growing these since my first home in the Rose City and their late-season nature always makes me paranoid that I've failed...until they prove me wrong. The only heartbreak is very rarely do they come back the next year unless we have an extraordinarily mild winter...but it's such an inexpensive investment for a local, sustainably grown plant that I don't mind a fresh start if that's what's needed. With the delightful pineapple smell of the edible leaves (great for a fruity tea...) and brilliant red of the blooms (and them being so sweet you had better not think you can have them in a vase at home as ants will come...and tell their friends), they are easily one of my absolute favorite flowers of the garden.
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