Pineapple Sage

Pineapple Sage is what happens when a regular herb decides to moonlight as an ornamental plant and discovers it's actually better at the second job. This tender perennial produces some of the most gorgeous red flowers you'll ever see while filling your garden with the incredible scent of fresh pineapple every time you brush against the soft, velvety leaves. It's like having your own tropical getaway without leaving Seattle.

The flowers are the real showstoppers – brilliant red tubular blooms that appear in late summer and fall, right when most other plants are winding down for the season. Hummingbirds treat these flowers like their own personal all-you-can-drink bar, often becoming so focused on feeding that you can get surprisingly close to watch the action.

What makes Pineapple Sage truly irresistible is that amazing fragrance. The leaves smell exactly like fresh pineapple when crushed or even lightly touched, making every encounter with the plant a little aromatherapy session. The leaves are also completely edible, adding a fruity flavor to teas, salads, or desserts – it's like having a spice garden that also happens to be drop-dead gorgeous.

The soft, heart-shaped leaves create beautiful texture in the garden, and the plant can reach 3-4 feet tall by the end of the growing season. It's tender in our climate, but that just means you get the excitement of treating it as an annual or bringing it indoors for the winter. You'll find this aromatic beauty adding late-season color and incredible fragrance to our median plantings, proving that plants with multiple talents are always the most interesting.