scarlet sage
For several years now in our village, I’ve done the rounds with my box of poppies, collecting for the Royal British Legion. As I wander from door to door, I am afforded a fascinating opportunity to peer into my neighbours’ front gardens and to notice how plants are doing.
One of these is my subject today and it stands out head and shoulders above the rest: I have come to associate the scarlet sage with Remembrance Day almost as strongly as the iconic red poppy.
However it is also a very real reminder of climate change; call it what you will, there is no doubt that our recent autumns have been milder than they used to be, because I’ve noticed this delightful tender annual, year after year lighting up one particularly pretty cottage
So last autumn my neighbour kindly dropped an envelope of its seed through our letter box. I am a keen propagator but seldom of annuals; however I was smitten enough to give these a go, and having sown them in early spring, they came up like mustard and cress and I’ve now been rewarded with my very own display of remembrance.
NB Louise has published a beautifully produced book of her plant profiles – A Plant for Each Week of the Year. It costs £9.99 and is for sale in our online shop here.
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