Sorry Don I didn't provide enough info. Pots are about 8 or 9 gallon. Plants were very small I purchased them from a catalog and they came bare rooted. I had a mix of topsoil, potting soil and peat moss. I did use something I don't recall what it was to help lower the ph. The only addition I've done to them was added some compost when I finialy got some made. They sit on a patio but is has been far from hot here this summer. I live in zone 6 not far from St. Louis Mo. And water them about every other day mosty with rain water from my rain barrel. I hope this answered your questions and I'll try to be more detailed next time. I think I found the problem this weekend. I used someone elses PH tester this weekend and the PH was WAY off. It showed well below a PH of 3 that's where the tester stops. I must of added way to much of that stuff to lower the PH. I dug them both out and soaked them in some nice fresh rain water. cleaned out the pot and repotted this time used mostly potting soil and compost. The PH of the soil is much better now. I cleaned off as much dirt from the roots with out tearing them up and repotted them. I know the one is probably alreay gone but I hope I saved my other one.

adamwr33, Yeah, that sounds like WAY too much fertilizer, especially in a pot. I have to constantly fight with myself to not over care for my plants. This is a common trap that many new and even experienced gardeners fall into. We want out plants to grow to the best of their ability in the best of possible conditions, so we fertilize when growth slows or we see vegitation dieing, we spray with insecticides (man made or not) at the slightest sign of a pest and we jump on all the odd solutions to any problem with the fruit (BER etc). Many times, these "solutions" can cause a lot more problems than the good. Fertilizer can cause a reduction in harvest, or even kill the plant, and insecticides can kill beneficials. In a lot of cases, the problem is not a problem at all. Sometimes leaves yellow or wilt and plants drop blossoms. Sometimes a few of a pest is okay (they can actually draw beneficial predatory insects to your garden that will keep down other pests). As a technical and fairly controlling person, I find it VERY difficult to just sit back and let the garden grow, but it is something that needs to be done. It almost always works out for the better. "Mother Nature" (for lack of a better term) will take care of the plants, they will adapt and be that much stronger for it. Of course, there are cases that fertilizer, insecticide, etc may be needed but only sparingly.

Hi Rich, Thanks for the quick reply. All 6 plants are the same selection, bought and planted at the same time. They are from Home Depot and the label says: "autumn sage, red, Salvia greggii" The sage are planted in San Juan Capistrano, CA, about 2 miles from the beach. The climate is very much like that of San Diego. According to the label on the pots, they were grown in Fallbrook, CA, which is about 30 miles southeast of SJC, so a bit drier and hotter. I often notice that potted drought tolerant plants at nurseries, Home Depot, etc., always have wet soil. That seems odd. Maybe they get watered everyday at the store and I'm not continuing that when I buy and plant them, so they get shocked. Just guessing.

Nothing to do with magnesium deficiency. Mg def is interveinal chlorosis. Curling and Mg aren't related. Many things can cause leaves to curl/roll. As Jean said herbicide use is a common one - especially if it is primarily on new top growth. Any sign of pests - esp. aphids? Is it only this one plant? Dave