Description:

A standout variety with bright green, fragrant foliage; contrasting bright red blooms add dazzle to this beautiful addition to borders or containers; dense and bushy; sweet and fruity aroma lend itself to various culinary dishes

Edible Qualities

Honeydew Melon Sage is a perennial herb that is typically grown for its edible qualities. The fragrant pointy green leaves are usually harvested from early to late summer. The leaves have a pleasant taste and a sweet fragrance.

The leaves are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Baking
• Preserves
• Sauces
• Tea

Features & Attributes

Honeydew Melon Sage has masses of beautiful spikes of red tubular flowers rising above the foliage from mid summer to mid fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive fragrant pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

This is an herbaceous perennial herb with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage. This is a relatively low maintenance plant. Trim off the flower heads after they fade and die to encourage more blooms late into the season. It is a good choice for attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Honeydew Melon Sage is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Honeydew Melon Sage will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity extending to 18 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 24 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 24 inches apart. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 5 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant is typically grown in a designated herb garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under typical garden conditions. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Honeydew Melon Sage is a good choice for the edible garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.