While a staple flora grown in many herb garden for its culinary utilisation , sage ( Salvia officinalis ) is a various plant life to be considered for a variety of purpose . It can be grown in U.S. Hardiness Zones 4 through 11 . It is an attractive plant that can flourish both indoors and out . A snipping of sage can be used to tote up a savory flavor to meats , alimentary paste , and even to sparkler cream . It also has therapeutic property that can relieve such ill as upset stomach and fistula congestion .
Most salvia varieties are aboriginal to the Mediterranean and to Asia Minor . It migrated from there to Central Europe during the Middle Ages . There are a few variety that originated in Central America and Mexico .
Historically , sage has served to improve the timbre of lifespan for people from well-nigh every ethnic screen background in one way or another . It has been used to season solid food and teas throughout time . Its healing prop have been appreciate by the sick and afflicted long before modern medicinal practices . Beyond its obvious benefits , Ancient Greeks used it to treat ophidian raciness and consider that eating it would fetch heavy soundness . Native Americans believed that the smoke created from burning it would lift their prayers to the Great Spirit . Sage remain to be of benefit to the great unwashed everywhere and in many way of life .
How to Grow and Care for Sage
A member of the mint family , the revered sage plant is an evergreen know to attract bees and hummingbird to outside garden location . salvia can be grown attractively in a container placed in a convenient localization for exercise in the kitchen . The salvia plant is a happy indoor works as well .
To grow salvia , put a few seeds in a five- or six - in good deal packed with a rich soil mix . Place in a gay localisation . Once your salvia has sprouted , slight to one or two seedling per pot . When the plants are four inches tall , you should start fertilise with a liquified works nutrient fit in to instructions on the label . start in the spring of the plant ’s second year , it will annually produce a small blue flower at the tips of its branch . Pinch these off immediately to maintain full leaf growth .
For an outdoor salvia plant life , start seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost . Transplant outdoors after peril of frost to a sunny locating in well - draining soil . Space the plants 24 inches aside as an average salvia industrial plant will uprise to between 18 and 24 in tall and 24 to 36 inches wide . salvia is a drought - tolerant flora that has intermediate lachrymation demand , so water system regularly .
Like many herbs , sage is a good companion plant for vegetable in your garden . It is especially effective when planted near shekels and carrots as it snub sugar tent flap , carrot flies , black flea beetles , cultivated cabbage inchworm , and cabbage maggots . It also repels many bean plant parasites .
matured sage can be harvested several times a yr . Cut longer leaf stems back to about six column inch . Snip the leaves from the stem and discard the stem . Store the leaves on a cloth , a blind or on paper away from unmediated light . When wry and crumbly , hive away in an air , luminosity and moisture - tight container until ready for utilisation .
Sage Pests and Problems
With right aid and consideration to the penury of the salvia plant , it is in the main a hardy plant . It can be susceptible to spider mites , whitefly , mealybug , and powdery mold .
Sage Varieties Worth Considering
“ Berggarten ” is a vigorous variety with unattackable flavour and across-the-board folio . It is a good option for the herb nurseryman because it is highly generative .
“ Minima ” is of the dwarf variety . Measuring in at 8 to 12 inches , this miniature sage flora is double-dyed for a small herb garden or a container .
“ Purpurascens ” offer an esthetic appeal with leaves that are a dusky lustre of purple , light-green and indigo . It is a impregnable grower .
Want to learn more about how to grow and use sage?
Here are some helpful resource : grow Sage and Mintfrom Alabama Cooperative Extension
Sagefrom Penn State Extension
