They root very readily in water - and in sand, gravel, dirt.... I've had them root into the gravel driveway and into adjacent pots. Just stick the cuttings in whatever medium you want and pop a baggie over the cuttings and container to avoid wilting. How long have you had them in the pail? Sometimes they will wilt for a day or so - put the pail in the shade.

I did that yesterday afternoon. I have not checked them today. So you are saying that they may stop wilting? That will be great. These are tall cuttings. Some of them are about 2' tall.

Kal2002,

I've kept Salvia elegans plants going for a few years now. I put instructions on how to root most any plant from cuttings on "My Page". You're welcome to take a copy :). It's very easy once you get going. Actually one of the photos in there is of a pineapple salvia cutting.

-Joe

I would not try to root a two foot tall cutting - I don't think it would work. Instead, I'd take cutting about 4 or 5 inches tall, and about pencil diameter. Pineapple sage typically grows the beginnings of roots along any low hanging branch - you should be able to see the small root nodes along the bottom of the branches. Take cuttings with the nodes along the bottom end of the cutting and a couple of leaves along the upper half of the cutting and try rooting them. Water, damp soil, damp sand should work fine. keep the cuttings moist and shaded especially at first. It could take a couple of months for them to really get growing. I find that not every cutting will root, so I start more cuttings than I want plants. With pineapple sage an experienced gardener can get perhaps 90% of cuttings to root, and even a beginner should be able to get 50%.