I am about to have surgery and will be on a walker for the prettiest months of April and May..and not able to do anything in the flower bed..
so I have finished it and mulched in March and fertilized..

My question is...the blue ensign salvia that I often post pictures of grows to 5 foot tall here and 4 foot wide by July..

It is now about 12 inches tall..and should I cut the top straight across or pinch it back so that it is bushy and will do better in May and June..stand up prettier and also bloom more profusely..

I will not be able to prune it back until July when I can walk and over the foot surgery..then I am having the other foot operated on July 21 and be over that by october..mid..

your thoughts on when to pinch back new salvia growth or just leave it alone...

Sheridragonfly

Hi Sheri,
First off, blessing on your surgery and congratulations on all the good work you've done in preparation for your off time.

I have never been one to pinch back, but I know of others who have done so with success. As I understand it, early pinching is good, but perhaps others will be able to offer more concrete advice.

One thing I do know well is foot surgery. Mine was likely more extensive than you're having done (in my case a fractured calcaneus let to a plate and 9 screws and months and months of recovery time), but any foot surgery is considerably less than fun. Things that worked for me: get a rollator with a middle seat (google it and look at images) -- it was so very useful. See if you can get a temporary handicap sticker for your car before your surgery. Once you do get out -- even with someone else driving -- you'll be glad to have it. A shower seat might also do you well, especially if your doctor anticipates that you will have to keep your foot elevated for some time. Depending on your downtime, a "nest" area may also do you well -- a place at home where you can recover with the needed and nice near by: books, remote, tablet, etc. Try to be patient, although I know well that's not easy.

As for the garden, I was fortunate to have some folks come my way and lend a hand, sometimes with me wheeling behind, sometimes just based on some gentle instruction. It won't be as lovely as if you were doing it, but this year you have a good excuse, and a missed season or two can be remedied once the healing takes hold which is the important part.

All the best,
Sean

@FBTS

Kermit would you chime in and give Sheri (and all of us) tips on 'Blue Ensign'? I don't know, as I'm getting my first 'Blue Ensign' to grow from you this spring.

Thanks!

Marilyn

@Sheridragonfly

Take good care of yourself.

Marilyn

All of the Salvia guaranitica clones benefit from at least one pinch early in their growth. They are not really prone to much branching naturally, and this helps to keep them a bit more bushy and compact. Don't wait too long, as they bloom on tall growth and you don't want to delay the appearance of flowers too very long. By july deadheading is all that is called for.

Hope this helps.

@Sheridragonfly
Prayers for successful surgery and healing. I have been one who has enjoyed your pics of your Blue Ensign- glad Kermit could advise! My S Guaranitica (the one I planted last year and probably the regular species) has similar colored blooms (maybe darker, hard to tell from pics) and like many of the Guaraniticas spreads by runners. However I was pleased with the way it grows because new stems spring up fairly close to each other with some branching. Even though mine was acquired last July it got pretty full. Because of my zone it is still dormant but should reappear -Dottie of Gardens in the Wood of Grassy creek has had them in her garden for years and she is zone 6- she told me it is later in spring to return but once it does, it really takes off. @Marilyn it looks as if Blue Ensign is hardy to zone 6 as well.

@FBTS

Kermit, thanks so much for your advice.

@jg0613

Judy, I'm looking forward to growing it for the first time and I'm so happy it is hardy to zone 6. Hopefully, it will overwinter for me in a large container.

Thank you all!

I will go pinch all the salvias this week..as I will not be able to do it again..
They are rather small 12 inches tall at this time but the black/blue salvia has
already reached 24 inches on April 3..can pinch it back too as it can grow up to 5 foot by 5 foot
or bigger each year here...

Blue ensign is a beautiful salvia this is the 3rd year and it really did well from one of my plants reappearing
and plenty of it near the base of the one plant...

another spot not as well and it is only 10 foot from each other
same soil and same light..

I covered it all with tarps when our weather got down to 24 for one week ...and I saved one wendys wish and may have lost the other one...

I had tarps about 3 to 4 foot above as much of my Sheri's healing flower garden bed as we could do...quite a job..as this bed is say 20 foot wide and 60 foot long at least..

Sean
thanks for the foot surgery recovery advice...much needed
I have 2 neuromas in the right foot and 2 in the left
so doing one foot this month and the other one in late July..

Borrrowed a walker..got 6 pillows ready for propping leg up in bed and recliner
and you are so right to have a basket to put all the things you need in like eye drops
tv control reading glasses and those type things...
I am sorry you had to have such extensive surgery and how are you doing since
did it solve the pain and walking is it good?

Love hearing from you all and being part of your group.
Sheri/sheridragonfly

Despite being zone 5, I've been able to successfully overwinter a couple of my blue ensigns in the ground using piles of leaves and a tarp. I've been giving one of them a hard cutback in June(perhaps 3 ft cut down by half) because it really takes off in May and I don't want it to outgrow its garden spot. Later in the season it is a large, dense, bloom-covered beauty. I could probably cut it back a bit earlier so it blooms a bit sooner.

@hawkeyewx

Good to know!