EngLish sage Salvia officinalis

LATIN NAME: Salvia officinalis

COMMON NAME: Common Sage

Common sage is one of those herbs that seems to have been in the garden forever. The low, shrubby, evergreen perennial carries the soft, grey-green, pebbly leaves with the fine, warm, camphor-like scent, and the spikes of the violet-blue flowers open through the early summer, drawing the bees. The leaves have a very long record of use in the kitchens, the old practice and the oils of the herb garden, and the plant is a fine, dependable presence of the sunny border. It is a plant of the open, sunny, sharply drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The common sage is one of the old friends of the plant science, studied for the soft, grey-green, pebbly leaves and the fine, camphor-like scent. The chemistry of the leaves, which carry the compounds of the old practice and the kitchen, has been studied closely, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the culinary herbs, the aromatic plants and the members of the mint family. The spikes of the violet-blue flowers and the low, shrubby habit have also made it a fine garden plant, and the common sage is a regular subject of the studies of the old herbs of the Mediterranean.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The common sage is a plant of many small duties, in the garden and the kitchen. The soft, grey-green leaves have a very long record of use in the kitchens of the world, in the stuffings, the roasts, the sausages and the butters, and the plant is a classic of the old practice and the essential oils. The low, shrubby, evergreen plant is also a fine, dependable presence of the sunny border and the herb garden, and the violet-blue flowers draw the bees of the early summer. It has been written about in the culinary and the botanical papers for the warm, camphor-like scent and the very long record of use, and it is a fine, long-lived plant of the open, sunny, sharply drained garden.

Common sage is one of the old herbs of the Mediterranean, and the soft, grey-green, pebbly leaves have a very long record of use in the stuffings, the roasts, the sausages and the butters of the kitchen. The plant is a classic of the old practice and the essential oils, and the violet-blue flowers draw the bees of the early summer.

To grow the common sage from seed, sow the seeds in pots of moist, free-draining soil, keeping them in the light, in the early spring, with gentle watering, and set the young plants out in the sun. The seedlings show themselves within a couple of weeks and grow on steadily. With the sun and the sharp-draining ground, the grey-green leaves will be ready for the kitchen through the years.

Perennial plant is a must-have for every herb garden. Although it is grown mostly for culinary use, it's pretty light purple flowers will look great in any garden! Use its leaves to flavor fish, poultry, pork, soups, sauces, and most Italian dishes, or as a fragrant garnish. The entire plant is used medicinally; or dried for potpourri and herbal wreaths. It can also be used in Native American smudging. Plant indoors in pots and set out on the patio for the summer to bring back in for the winter; or transplant into the garden after all danger of frost. May also be sown directly into the garden in the Spring, after the last frost, or start indoors 6 – 8 weeks earlier. In warmer climates, may also be planted outdoors September – February!