garden q&a
Purple sage is a hardy ornamental
What to do about crickets that invade your clothes dryer
This is purple sage, a fairly hardy herb, both ornamental and tasty for cooking. Its flashy foliage tolerates cold temperatures up to a point. The warmer its micro-climate and the warmer the winter, the longer it will look purple and perky. Eventually, deep freezes will brown foliage and it will go dormant until next spring.
In the vicinity of the exterior dryer vent opening, remove damp hiding places such as wood piles, mulch, and groundcovers. Install a louvered vent cover that opens outwards when the dryer is blowing out air but closes at other times. You should be able to find one in hardware or home supply stores. We do not recommend using pesticides in this instance.