Our northern latitudes are not the home of sage, yet there are many reasons why this medicinal herb should take root in our gardens.
Sage (Salvia officinalis) is a member of the mint family, which also includes some other famous herbs such as mint and basil. The generic name Salvia, which is derived from the Latin "salvere" - "to be he althy", suggests the beneficial effect. However, not only because of its healing powers, but also because of its attractive blue-violet flowers in the months of May to July, the sage, which is native to the Mediterranean region, has found its way into our northern gardens. As early as the Middle Ages, to protect against the plague, people rubbed themselves with a vinegar tincture in which sage leaves were preserved. As a medicinal plant, the herb was already known in ancient times due to its rich ingredients and was cultivated in a targeted manner. In order to grow sage successfully, however, you should pay attention to a few things.
Synonyms: king sage, salver, garden sage
Growing and Propagating Sage
This subshrub, which is woody in the lower part and can reach a height of 20 to 60 cm, prefers a sunny spot in the garden. As far as the substrate is concerned, sage is very undemanding. A well-drained but nutrient-rich substrate favors the growth of the sage both in the flower bed and in the culture in containers. Nevertheless: the garden sage also gets along well with very poor soils. If you want to be on the safe side, use a special herbal soil such as our peat-free Plantura organic herb and seed soil.
The most promising way to propagate the popular medicinal herb is to divide the sage stick. However, with this form of propagation, you get relatively few offspring from a mother plant. The cane should be divided either in early spring (March) or immediately after flowering (August).
The garden sage can bealso propagate well from cuttings. In May or June, young new shoots of 5 to 8 cm in length with at least three pairs of leaves can be cut. Care should be taken that the shoots do not already begin to lignify or have a flower bud at the tip of the shoot. This increases the strength of the cutting to be able to form roots. Cuttings should initially be placed in a small nursery. This creates an environment with increased humidity. This is important so that the water requirement of the cuttings is significantly reduced. Due to the missing roots, it cannot absorb any water and if the humidity is too low, the cutting would dry out. The cuttings can soon be taken out of the propagator after the roots have started to develop.
If sage is propagated by seeds, this should also be done in spring. As with almost all sowings, it is important to ensure that the swelling seed is kept moist and covered with a thin layer of substrate that protects it from drying out. If you decide to propagate garden sage by sowing, you should think about growing the seedlings in warm weather from March. In this way, the young plants can be planted outdoors from May and will flower earlier and more luxuriantly in the same year than direct sowing outdoors, which is recommended for early May.
During the main growth period, i.e. after budding and until flowering, you should fertilize regularly and pay attention to balanced watering. But be careful: If you fertilize too much, this can result in the sage not flowering, but only increasing in leaf mass throughout the year. If you use a primarily organic organic fertilizer with a long-term effect, you do not have to worry about over-fertilization. Our Plantura organic universal fertilizer is worked into the soil both during planting and during the main growing season and slowly and gently releases its nutrients to the sage over a period of three months.
To counteract uncontrolled woody growth of the sage, pruning the plant should be considered. As a good balance between too much and too little, a permanent but moderate cut has prevailed over a one-off radical cut.
Despite the relatively pronounced frost hardiness of sage, preventive protection against the cold should be carried out. That's the way it workssuggest covering specimens planted in the garden with leaves or fir branches and wrapping plants cultivated in pots in fleece or jute or simply placing them indoors. With regard to the winter quarters, which protect against frost damage or even failure, the following applies to garden sage: as long as necessary, as short as possible.
Popular Sage Varieties
Characteristic of Salvia officinalis are the greenish-grey furry leaves. However, as far as the color and pattern of the leaves are concerned, there is a diverse and colorful variety of varieties, which unfortunately often comes at the expense of frost hardiness. The genus Salvia is very species-rich, but here we only present the varieties of garden sage. Here you will find an even greater variety of sage species and varieties.
- Culinaria: classic greenish-grey leafy sage; very frost resistant; popular as a spice in the kitchen.
- Icterina: special ornamental value due to yellow-green patterned leaves; relatively sensitive to frost.
- Kew Gold: golden leaves and mauve flower; relatively sensitive to frost.
- Tricolor: grey-green leaves with cream accents; A special feature are pink to purple areas on the leaves of the young shoots.
- Variegata: Varieties with violet flowers but with striking yellow-green patterned leaves.
- Würzburg: stands out due to its compact growth; is therefore particularly suitable for cultivation in pots.
Harvesting & Storage of Sage
The leaves of the sage plant can be harvested from spring onwards. Entire young shoots may also be removed. However, care should be taken not to take too many at once - this would cost the plant too much energy and the energy supply for further growth would be too limited. It should be harvested after flowering. The regrowth of leaves and shoots stops after the sage has bloomed and the leaves also lose their aroma - it falls into a dormant phase. This dormant phase could be counteracted with the early removal of the flower buds and stopped for further leaf mass production. However, this is less desirable as plants should generally be kept in their natural growth rhythm. For more information on sage harvesting, see this article.
Storage is not absolutely necessary, because sage can also be used fresh.However, the usability of the leaves can be significantly extended by rapid but gentle drying. For the drying process of sage it is predestined to let tied sage bouquets hang down from the ceiling with the shoot tip downwards.
Ingredients and Uses of Sage
As a distinctive spice in the kitchen, sage is very popular. But above all because of its versatile use as a medicinal herb, the violet-flowering mint family stands out. Salvia officinalis owes this to the essential oils it contains, as well as tannins and bitter substances. Leaves brewed as a tea are said to have a soothing effect on inflammation in the gums, mouth and throat. Likewise, the consumption of sage tea can counteract excessive sweating and have a generally beneficial effect on stomach and intestinal complaints.
The essential oil of sage is also said to have a disinfecting and antispasmodic effect. However, sage should not be consumed in excess, as the tannins and bitter substances could become a burden on the stomach. The thujone contained in the essential oil can also have a toxic effect if overdosed. That shouldn't ban sage from our kitchen, though. Due to its characteristic spiciness, this medicinal herb fits perfectly into the taste of Italian cuisine - whether pasta, gnocchi or meat dishes.
Pests and Diseases of Sage
The biggest challenge is to protect the young shoots of sage from being eaten by snails. Root crown rot (Phytophthora) is common when watering is too waterlogged or too variable. Infestation with this fungus initially manifests itself in wilting of individual parts of the plant and usually ends with the death of the entire plant. Harmful insects cannot be observed outdoors, but if the sage is kept indoors, it is susceptible to aphids, red spider mites and whiteflies.