Sage Common

Description

Salvia officinalis – common sage

Botanical name: Salvia officinalis
Common names: Common sage, garden sage
Family: Lamiaceae (mint family)
Plant type: Evergreen aromatic sub-shrub
Habit: Bushy, mound-forming
Pot size: 1 litre pot
Eventual size: Approx. 45–60cm tall × 60cm spread
Foliage: Soft, felted, aromatic grey-green leaves; evergreen
Flowers: Spikes of blue-purple flowers in early summer (June–July)
Scent: Strongly aromatic foliage
Aspect / light: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained; poor to average; tolerates lime; dislikes wet; any pH
Hardiness: RHS H5 (hardy, to about −15°C); USDA zones 5–9
Exposure: Open, hot, dry, sunny
Native range: Native to the Mediterranean
Toxicity / pet & child safety: Generally considered non-toxic to people and pets

Salvia officinalis, common sage, is a classic evergreen aromatic sub-shrub with soft, felted grey-green leaves and blue-purple flowers in early summer. Tough and drought-tolerant, it is superb for sunny borders and pots.

GardenAdvice notes

The classic culinary and garden sage, common sage is a Mediterranean evergreen sub-shrub grown for its soft, aromatic grey-green foliage, which gives year-round texture, and its spikes of blue-purple early-summer flowers. Handsome, tough and drought-tolerant, it is as much a foliage plant for a sunny border as a herb.

Growing & planting

Plant in spring in well-drained soil in full sun — sage thrives on poor, dry soils and dislikes rich, wet, heavy ground, which shortens its life. It tolerates lime and drought. Ideal for sunny borders, gravel, herb gardens and containers. Improve heavy soil with grit. Space about 50cm apart.

Care & maintenance

Low-maintenance. Trim lightly after flowering, or in spring, to keep it bushy and compact, but avoid cutting hard back into the old, bare wood, which it is reluctant to reshoot from. Water only while establishing; thereafter it is drought-tolerant. Replace or layer old, woody, sprawling plants every few years.

Propagation

• Cuttings: Take softwood or semi-ripe cuttings in summer.
• Layering: Peg down low stems to root, then detach.

Pests & diseases

Generally trouble-free in a sunny, well-drained spot. Its main enemy is wet, heavy soil, which causes rot, and old plants tend to go woody and sprawl open at the base. Rosemary beetle may occasionally appear.

Uses in the garden

Superb for sunny borders, gravel and Mediterranean-style gardens, herb gardens, silver and foliage plantings, and containers, where its aromatic foliage sets off brighter colours.

Wildlife value

The early-summer flowers are very attractive to bees and other pollinating insects, and the aromatic foliage is generally left alone by browsing animals.

Toxicity & safety

This herb is generally regarded as non-toxic to people and pets.

GardenAdvice tip

Common sage is a real dual-purpose plant — a handsome grey evergreen for a sunny border and a herb in one — and its early flowers are excellent for bees. Give it full sun and sharp drainage, trim it after flowering to keep it bushy (never into the bare old wood), and layer or replace it every few years, as older plants go woody and sprawl open in the middle.

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