Explore Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Can't find the answer in our existing FAQs, submit a question to Mr. Smarty Plants.
Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.
rate this answer
Thursday - May 31, 2012
From: Comfort, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives, Shrubs
Title: Non-native Jerusalem Sage from Comfort TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I live in Comfort, TX. I have 3 Jerusalem sage plants that bloom beautifully each year. However, just the past week one has started turning yellow and brown. The leaves look withered and ready to die. Another in another part of the yard is starting to do the same. They are in well-drained soil and full sun. I have sprayed them with Green Light Fruit Tree Spray just in case there is a little unseen predator on the leaves. I don't recall this happening before. They even made it through the terrible drought we had the past couple of years. Could iti be something as simple as needing an iron supplement or some other kind of nutrient?ANSWER:
Phlomis fruticosa (Jerusalem sage) - native to Albania, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, and Turkey does not appear in our Native Plant Database. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is dedicated to the growth, propagation and protection of plants native not only to North America but to the areas in which that plant grows naturally, so this plant falls outside our area of expertise. The use of native plants makes survival and thriving of the plant more likely because they will be accustomed by centuries of experience to the climate, soils and rainfall where they are growing.
Since we know nothing about this plant, here is an article from Perennials.com on Phlomis fruticosa (Jerusalem Sage). This USDA Plant Profile Map does not show it growing in Texas at all, but only in California. That doesn't necessarily mean it won't grow in Texas, but only that it has not been reported growing there. We suspect it may not find the soil compatible with its needs, and it may need some shade in Kendall County, Central Texas.
Perhaps you can get some more information from this article from the Sonoma County (California) Master Gardeners.
Oh, and one more thing - we don't recommend any kind of "just in case" application of chemicals or fertilizers unless you have a clear indication that it is needed and appropriate. You can do more harm than good.
Pictures of Jerusalem Sage.
More Shrubs Questions
Evergreen native shrubs for poor drainage area in Cedar Hill, TX
March 21, 2008 - Hi! I have one (big!) bed in on the front of my house. Due to the way the house/motorcourt is built, that area (when it rains as much as it did last year!) doesn't drain well. I now have to replac...
view the full question and answer
Bugs eating new growth on Mountain Laurel shrubs from Dripping Springs TX
April 02, 2013 - What is eating the new growth on my mountain laurel shrubs? One plant has red bugs and the other has black (could they be love bugs?). Is there something I can do to preserve the new growth?
view the full question and answer
Freeze damage to dwarf Barbados Cherry in Austin
April 23, 2010 - This past winter was colder than usual here, in the southwestern outskirts of Austin, but I am surprised that my established Dwarf Barbados Cherry, on the south side of my house froze completely to th...
view the full question and answer
A 3-6 ft. high overwintering container plant
November 08, 2011 - I live in Austin, Tx. and am looking for a plant/shrub that I can keep in a ceramic pot through out the winter. It can grow to from 3 feet to six feel.
view the full question and answer
Why are the leaves on my Laurel hedge turning brown in Everett, WA?
February 22, 2010 - Our laurel hedge seems to have brown leaves on the top of the bush. We haven't had a freezing winter so we are trying to figure out why some of the leaves are brown.
view the full question and answer
 |
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. Mr. Smarty Plants wants you to be his Facebook friend. Click the Facebook icon to add yourself to Mr. Smarty Plants list of friends. |
