Hummingbird Sage

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

.

Attract Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

Pinhead-sized, stingless, and lethal to aphids and caterpillars from the inside.

to keep them in check — plant African MarigoldGreat, AngelicaFair and AniseFair nearby.

Growing from seed

Start Hummingbird Sage indoors about 8 weeks before your last frost. Seeds usually come up in around 21 days. Move seedlings out once the danger of frost has passed, in partial sun, spaced about 60 cm apart. Expect the first blooms in roughly 365 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

Companion Planting

• 
  African Marigold
  

  African MarigoldGreat pair

  • ❧African Marigold attracts Hoverflies and Lacewings and more, which prey on the Aphids that attack Hummingbird Sage
  • ❧African Marigold suppresses pests that trouble Hummingbird Sage
  • ❧Hummingbird Sage draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
• 
  French Marigold
  

  French MarigoldGreat pair

  • ❧French Marigold attracts Hoverflies and Lacewings and more, which prey on the Aphids that attack Hummingbird Sage
  • ❧French Marigold suppresses pests that trouble Hummingbird Sage
  • ❧Hummingbird Sage draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
• 
  Clover
  

  CloverGood pair

  • ❧Clover fixes nitrogen in the soil that Hummingbird Sage feeds on
  • ❧Hummingbird Sage draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both

How to grow Hummingbird Sage

1. Sow8 weeks before frost
2. Germinates21 days
3. Space60 cm apart
4. GrowPartial sun
5. Harvest~365 days

Water: Low · Height: 75 cm · Soil: Well-draining, average — tolerates shade and drought