Today’s Garden Ideas

Sage, with its sweet smelling foliage and lovely blooms makes an excellent addition to a multitude of gardens. Sage will flourish as a border plant or look lovely in an herb garden. It works well as a container plant kept near the kitchen for fresh picking while your cook.

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Most sage plants have grey-green leaves. Sage keeps its leaves

during the colder winter months so it is very useful as a bedding plant. It also works well in dry climates, as it is not only drought resistant but tolerant of heat and poor soil. Sage plants all have flowers ranging in color from blue to red. The stems of the sage plant are rather interesting to look at because they get thick and gnarled with age.

Plant Buddies

Sage is both a help and a hindrance to other plants. Sage does a great job of repelling cabbage moths and carrot flies. So be sure to plant it near cabbage and carrots in your vegetable garden. Sage is also a tick repellent and will help keep ticks off your dogs and cats. Never plant sage near cucumbers or in annual flowerbeds. It will inhibit the growth of these plants.

Purchasing & Planting

When purchasing sage buy sturdy plants in 3 inch pots or larger. Choose sage plants that have multiple stems. Do not buy sage plants that are tall and scrawny. Be sure the sage plant is not too large for its pot.

Dig a hole about 6 inches across and 7 inches deep. Mix sand with the soil from the hole. If you have clay soil mix in compost instead of sand. Add 2 inches of your soil to the hole and fill with water. If the water does not drain in 15 minutes dig deeper and mix in more sand or compost. Pull your sage plant from the pot and loosen its roots. Plant the sage plant at the same level it was growing in the container. Firm the soil around the plant without harming the stem.

Growing Tips

Sage plants love full sun and can thrive in blazing sunny areas. The soil must be well drained. Sage loves poor soil and will grow well in both acidic and alkaline beds.

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Seasonal Care

For seasonal care start indoors from seed 4-6 weeks before the lat frost. When plants are 2-3 inches tall and have 2 sets of leaves repot in 3-inch peat pots. In late spring transplant into your garden. Allow for 12 inches between your sage plants. Do not mulch until early summer. For sage plants that are already in your garden prune in the spring of their second year just as new leaves begin to appear. Prune to remove any dead wood and to shape. In summer cut leaves as needed for cooking. In late summer cut several braches and tie together. Hang the sage upside down in your kitchen for a wonderful fragrance. In fall prepare your sage plants for winter by mulching around the plant with shredded leaves and other organic material.

To harvest and dry sage leaves effectively you will need a screen. Pick the leaves and place them on the screen in a shady well-ventilated area. Let them dry slowly so they will not mold. Store your sage leaves in airtight jars. You can also cut off flower spikes for drying. This will encourage a second set of blooms to grow.

Sage is fairly pest resistant so no preventative pesticide application is needed. The only pest that may attack sage is whiteflies. Whitefly nymphs eat the Sage leaves. Wash the whiteflies away. Another effective way to get rid of whiteflies is with ladybugs or lacewings. Add these to your garden, as they love to feast on the whiteflies.

Varieties of Sage

Sage comes in several varieties. Common Sage has oval, grey-green leaves and violet-blue flowers. Common Sage is used in stuffings. Tricolor Sage has leaves of violet, pink and white and does not flower. It can get up to 18 inches tall. Purple Sage has purple-green leaves. It is very hardy and has bright blue flowers. White-flowered Sage can get up to 30 inches tall and has grey-green foliage. Golden Sage is also very hardy with fuzzy green leaves. This sage plant does not flower. Berggarten Sage will grow up to 16 inches tall. Its leaves are gray-green and its flowers are a violet-blue. Pink-flowered Sage has a very delicate flavor and is an excellent bedding plant. Dwarf Sage only gets up to 1 foot tall and is good for containers. Its flowers are violet. Pineapple Sage has light green leaves with a pineapple scent and bright red flowers. Zig-zag Sage has irregularly notched leaves and light green foliage. It does not flower.

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Quick Facts

In general sage will grow in zones 3-10. Sage prefers full sun and well-drained soil. It will spread up to 24 inches wide and 36 inches tall. The Sage plant is easy to grow with edible flowers and a lovely fragrance. This perennial can be harvested all year.

Tags: berggarten sage, common sage, dwarf sage, golden sage, pineapple sage, pink-flowered sage, purple sage, Sage, tricolor sage, white-flowered sage, whiteflies, zig-zag sage