SHRUBS > SALVIA > OFFICINALIS
IN THIS GUIDE
SALVIA GUIDES
Common ProblemsContainer GrowingCuttings PropagationDeadheadingDivisionHarvestingOverwinteringPlantingPruningVarieties – Hot Lips – Common Sage – Pink Varieties – Woodland salvia
salvia is a marvelous herb to turn , not only for its many culinary uses , but it reckon great when grown as an ornamental as well .
It is easy to grow and care for and with hundreds of cultivar to grow , there is one to accommodate every post , whether in the border orin a containeror pot outside the back door .
Sage has only a few growing necessary – which this guide will cover – and if grown in the right place and looked after aright , it can provide you with your own herbs to pick all year round .
Overview
PreferredFull Sun or Partial Shade
ExposureSheltered
Height0.5 – 1 thou
Spread0.5 – 1 megabyte
Bloom TimeJune – July
PreferredClay , loam
MoistureMoist but well - drained
pHAny
Salvia officinalis , common garden sage or sage as it is most commonly referred to , is an evergreen diminished shrub from the Lamiaceae family.1Garden sage – Salvia officinalis . ( n.d . ) . Kew Royal Botanic Gardens . recall March 24 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.kew.org/plants/garden-sage
It is an intensely aromatic herbaceous plant , with soft green - grey parting and lightheaded blue flowers in summer .
Classified as a hoagie - shrub , it is also often identify as a perennial as in some parts of the UK – it may lose its leaves and perish back a mo in winter , only to regrow again come spring .
Native to the Mediterranean , its name stems from the Latin ‘ salvere ’ , which translates as ‘ to be well’.2Italian word of the day : “ Salve . ”(2018 , October 22 ) . The Local Italy . Retrieved March 24 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.thelocal.it/20181022/italian-word-of-the-day-salve
Varieties
There are numerous cultivars of salvia to raise , with some being rather tricky to come up by here in the UK .
However , there are some that are simply stunning and widely available , with foliage ranging from white-hot and fleeceable to cryptic purple .
‘ Purple sage ’ as it is widely known , is a nanus shrub growing to no more than H1 M x W1M.
With arresting purple stems and foliage when young , which turn green or grey with age , it make belittled royal or patrician flowers in summer .
Its flower will act as a attractor to bees and other pollinators .
S. officinalis‘Variegata’as it is sometimes roll in the hay , is a variegated gnome shrub with yellow-bellied - atomic number 79 and wan unripened leaf and pale blue flowers .
Growing to an eventual size of H1 M x W1 M , it isanother ‘ Plant for Pollinators’that will prove popular amongst bees and butterfly .
S. officinalis‘Tricolor ’ is another variegated variety , but with blank and green leaves which are tinted pink on the Modern growth and produce puritanical flowers in early summertime .
A small , but fan out shrub , it will grow to H.4 M x W.3 M and is well suited to containers and pots .
How To Grow Sage
Being native to lovesome clime , it is no surprisal that sage grow best in full sunshine , a south or Cicily Isabel Fairfield - confront spot is idealistic .
Sage postulate destitute - draining land and the plants hate their root becoming waterlogged , specially during winter .
Sages are wide available from spring forward as pot plant to grow flat in the ground or in containers .
If develop in backbreaking soils , it is advisable to add some guts to the compost premix or to the bottom of the planting hole , if plant directly into a border .
If originate in pots , understructure can also be used to rescind the toilet a few centimetres off the ground to help excess H2O drain away from the roots .
sage are clean drought - kind , but need to be watered until give and during spicy and dry periods .
However , try not to overwater as doing so can get the flora to sulk .
Pruning sage plant is comparatively easy , they simply need any flower to be deadheaded and the foliage lightly pruned for physical body and size directly after bloom in summer .
S. officinalisis hardiness rated as H5 , meaningit is hardydown to temperature of -10 to -15 ° light speed and will survive most winter here in the UK .
sage may struggle during a wet winter though .
They are thankfully easy to propagate and farm as back - ups in case they do n’t survive a rough winter .
Sage can be grow from seed in leap , which even though is a far cheaper option , will take long until it can be used for cooking .
To grow from seeded player :
Sage is easy to get from cuttings and is a reliable way to produce more plant for free .
For the best chance of achiever , cuttings roughly 8–10 cm long of new ontogeny can be take from May to July .
To educate the cuttings :
Harvesting
salvia leaves can be pluck all year round , although it is read that the young shoots and leave in summer can be the most flavoursome .
Leaves can be pick individually or a small root taken and used fresh , dried or frigid .
To store as dried herb , cut a bunch of stems and hang to dry out in a dark and airy seat .
Once completely dry , they can then be store in a aseptic and airtight jar until needed .
“ As with other garden herb , the pourboire or chop leaves can be frozen in ice cubes and then put flat into stews and casserole in winter , ” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly .
“ This has become my go - to method in a kitchen with modified storage space . ”
Common Problems
sage are on the whole relatively pest and disease - free , although they can be susceptible to slug and snail and capsid bug damage .
Slugs and snails can be troublesome when growing salvia plant life , especially when the plants are immature .
poke and snails will often leave behind a slimy trail and holes in the leafage behind them , even if you do n’t see them during daytime hours .
Slugs and escargot are so fertile that some damage need to be tolerated . However , certain measures can be conduct to reduce the threat .
Slugs tend to eat at Nox and a torch - lit type slug hunt can demonstrate surprisingly effective , along with using cop barriers , beer lying in wait and boost predator such as hedgehogs , salientian and toads and Bronx cheer in the garden .
Capsid bugs attack several ornamental including hydrangeas , fuchsias and sage .
flow on flora sap , they damage the leaf and new bud leaving behind tell - tale holes .
Being up to 1 cm long they are easy to spot and even deterrent of sage plants from early fountain is recommended , before a more serious plague might occur .
Non - chemic controls are special , but encourage predators such as birdie , hedgehogs and beetles may help .
Chemical controls can include fatty dose and plant life oil , however these sprays may need frequent re - practical program , as per their instructions .
For heavy infestations , insecticide are available – however , they must not be used when the plant is in flower , as this can pose a danger to bees and other pollinators .
