Salvia officinalis (Garden Sage)
Common Sage, Garden Sage, Culinary Sage, Sauge, Salvia officinalis 'Greek'
A favorite of many cooks and gardeners, Salvia officinalis (Garden Sage) is a bushy, spreading evergreen sub-shrub with strongly aromatic, finely veined, silver-gray leaves. In early summer, it sends up whorls of camphor-scented, two-lipped, lavender-blue flowers on short, upright flower spikes. Grown for centuries, Garden Sage has been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. It is a pleasantly pungent culinary herb, which also aids digestion. It is a popular herb for the treatment of night sweats associated with menopause and is frequently used for sore throats, gum infections, tonsillitis and mouth ulcers. Garden Sage is a must for every herb garden, but it is also wonderful along pathways, in perennial borders and in cottage gardens. Its silver-gray leaves contrast nicely with the green foliage of many other plants, and looks wonderful when intermixed with pink flowering plants.
- Grows up to 18 in. tall (45 cm) and 24-30 in. wide (60-75 cm).
- Performs best in full sun (light shade is tolerated) in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils. Avoid excessive winter wet.
- Useful in beds and borders, wall-side borders, city gardens, coastal gardens, cottage gardens, Mediterranean gardens, herb gardens or containers.
- Keep an eye out for sage leaf hopper, capsid bug, slugs, foot and root rots, powdery mildew and verticillium wilt.
- Drought tolerant and deer resistant, it is attractive to bees, butterflies and occasionally to hummingbirds.
- Clip the foliage back in spring to promote fresh new leaves.
- Propagate by softwood cuttings in spring or semi-hardwood in late summer. Propagate by seed sown in spring.
- Native to the shores of the northern Mediterranean.
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Requirements
Hardiness | 4
– 10 |
---|---|
Heat Zones | 1
– 10 |
Climate Zones | 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, H1, H2 |
Plant Type | Herbs, Perennials, Shrubs |
Plant Family | Salvia - Sages |
Exposure | Full Sun |
Season of Interest |
Spring (Early,Mid,Late) Summer (Early,Mid,Late) Fall Winter |
Height | 1' – 2' (30cm – 60cm) |
Spread | 2' – 3' (60cm – 90cm) |
Spacing | 24" – 30" (60cm – 75cm) |
Water Needs | Average |
Maintenance | Low |
Soil Type | Clay, Loam |
Soil pH | Acid, Alkaline, Neutral |
Soil Drainage | Moist but Well-Drained |
Characteristics | Fragrant, Showy, Evergreen |
Tolerance | Deer, Drought, Dry Soil, Rocky Soil |
Attracts | Butterflies, Hummingbirds |
Garden Uses | Beds and Borders, Patio and Containers, Wall-Side Borders |
Garden Styles | City and Courtyard, Coastal Garden, Informal and Cottage, Mediterranean Garden |
Hirundo/Shutterstock, Iva Vagnerova, Shutterstock
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.
Requirements
Hardiness | 4
– 10 |
---|---|
Heat Zones | 1
– 10 |
Climate Zones | 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, H1, H2 |
Plant Type | Herbs, Perennials, Shrubs |
Plant Family | Salvia - Sages |
Exposure | Full Sun |
Season of Interest |
Spring (Early,Mid,Late) Summer (Early,Mid,Late) Fall Winter |
Height | 1' – 2' (30cm – 60cm) |
Spread | 2' – 3' (60cm – 90cm) |
Spacing | 24" – 30" (60cm – 75cm) |
Water Needs | Average |
Maintenance | Low |
Soil Type | Clay, Loam |
Soil pH | Acid, Alkaline, Neutral |
Soil Drainage | Moist but Well-Drained |
Characteristics | Fragrant, Showy, Evergreen |
Tolerance | Deer, Drought, Dry Soil, Rocky Soil |
Attracts | Butterflies, Hummingbirds |
Garden Uses | Beds and Borders, Patio and Containers, Wall-Side Borders |
Garden Styles | City and Courtyard, Coastal Garden, Informal and Cottage, Mediterranean Garden |