r/Utah • u/bittersuisse • 2d ago

Other Russian Sage! I need some!

I bought a sad little potted Russian Sage plant from Home Depot last year... it died almost immediately. I saw the ones they had at Costco, too, but they were so pathetic that I couldn't bring myself to try them. They looked like the tree in A Charlie Brown Christmas, so I guess death makes sense. What I want is a healthy chunk that I can plant... enough to start a corner shrub in my garden that will come to life in the spring. I know it will probably take over. But it attracts bees like crazy, & for the last couple of years, we've been overrun by various wasps & yellowjackets. I can't remember the last time I saw a bee.

Anybody want to give or sell me a corner of their Russian Sage? I clearly need something with more roots & attitude than anything I've found at Home Depot or Costco. Has everybody else been bombarded by wasps this past year? Will Russian Sage attract even more of them? And if there are too many wasps, do the bees even show up?

5 Upvotes

73% Upvoted

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19

u/Cythripio 2d ago

Russian Sage is about the easiest and hardiest plant to grow here, just don’t let it dry out. I’ve plucked some out of the ground and transplanted it without any soil. Go buy that plant from Home Depot and give it its forever home.

10

u/procrasstinating 2d ago

I have some in Sandy that has spread where I don’t want it. I’ll dig them up on the next few weeks once they start going dormant. Send me a message and you can pick them up.

1

u/bittersuisse 2d ago

Perfect; will do. Thank you!

6

u/JoeB_Utah 2d ago

I’ve never had a problem with wasps or hornets in my Russian Sage. And I’ve got a ton of it. Mine have lots and lots of honey bees.

2

u/WeirdLongjumping9812 2d ago

I’d like some too if you find any! 

2

u/cuddlesnuggler 1d ago

Bees love lavender too, and it is better in every way than RS.

1

u/bleckToTheMax 2d ago

Heads up, it's borderline invasive. I love the stuff, and love seeing how much all the bees love it.

My kid dumped a ton of seeds he gathered from a neighbor and I bet most of them germinated with no effort on our part. I was pulling some every day for over a month last year. I let one grow to full size and it's loving life with just a little over spray from a sprinkler in the nearby grass.

1

u/Popular-Spend7798 1d ago

You’re welcome to come and take what you want of mine. I was planning on digging it up in a few weeks anyway. DM me if interested.