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The bruised foliage of pineapple sage really does smell like fresh pineapple! This is a semiwoody, mostly herbaceous, subshrub, 3-5 ft (1-1.5 m) in height with an open-branched, airy habit, and a spread of 2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m). Like most mints, pineapple sage has square stems and opposite leaves. The branches originate on opposite sides of the main stem, too. The leaves are softly fuzzy, light green and 2-4 in (5-10 cm) long with serrated margins. The flowers are ruby red, 1-2 in (2.5-5 cm) long, and like other salvias, tubular with two lips: the upper lip hoodlike and the lower lip spreading. The flowers are arranged in four-flowered whorls on 8 in (20 cm) terminal spikes. Flowering occurs through late summer and autumn. 'Scarlet Pineapple', with more numerous and larger flowers than the wild species, is commonly available. 'Frieda Dixon' is a cultivar with pink flowers.
Location
Culture
Use pineapple sage in the center of beds and borders, where its open, airy structure will not hide other plantings. It will grow to shrub size, about 4 ft (1.2 m) tall and 3 ft (0.9 m) wide, in a single season. Pineapple sage is often grown as an annual and often grown in containers. Northern gardeners can cut pineapple sage back and dig it up in autumn to overwinter indoors. Returned outside in spring, overwintered pineapple sage will start blooming much earlier than plants started from new cuttings. Another trick is to root tip cuttings in autumn and maintain them indoors until spring.
Features The fresh leaves of pineapple sage are used in fruit salads and drinks. Crush a few fragrant leaves into hot or iced tea for a flavorful treat. The delicious flowers add color and flavor to salads and deserts. Steve Christman 6/27/00; updated 12/30/02, 5/3/03, 9/5/03
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