🌿 Sage

Sage is a hardy, silvery-leaved evergreen shrub with a strong, earthy flavour and attractive purple-blue flowers in early summer that bees adore. It is easy to grow, and it keeps its leaves through most winters.

Besides common sage, there are purple, golden and tricolour forms that are as ornamental as they are useful. Plants grow well in pots and borders, in sun and free-draining soil, and they are long-lived with minimal care.

Types and varieties

Sages differ in flavour and colour. Common and purple are the best for cooking.

Plant potted sage from March to October in full sun and free-draining soil, with plenty of grit added on heavy ground. Space plants 45–60 cm apart. Sage can be sown in April and May on the surface of seed compost at 15–18°C, but plants take longer and vary.

Cuttings are easy: take 10 cm softwood cuttings in late spring, root in gritty compost and pot on. Layering low stems also works. In pots, use a loam-based compost with extra grit.

Top tips

• Plant in sun and good drainage.
• Take cuttings in late spring.
• Add grit to heavy soil.
• Space for air circulation.

Water sparingly once established, and avoid feeding, since rich soil reduces flavour. Cut back the plant by one third after flowering in summer, avoiding cutting into bare old wood, to prevent a leggy, woody plant. A light trim in spring helps, too.

Replace the plant every 4–5 years when it becomes woody and unproductive. Wet winters and heavy soils are the main threats, so ensure good drainage. Sage is generally untroubled by pests; powdery mildew can occur in dry, congested plants.

Top tips

• Prune after flowering.
• Don’t overfeed.
• Replace every 4–5 years.
• Avoid wet winter soil.

Watch out for

Root rot in wet soilPowdery mildewCapsid bugsLeaf-hopper

Pick leaves at any time of year, choosing young, fresh leaves from the tips for the best flavour. Pick lightly in the first year. The flavour is strongest in early summer, before flowering. Cut sprigs with scissors.

For drying, cut stems before flowering and hang in bunches in a warm, airy place. The flowers are edible and make a pretty salad garnish. Harvest in the morning after the dew has dried.

Top tips

• Pick lightly in the first year.
• Choose young leaves.
• Harvest before flowering for drying.
• Eat the flowers.

Sage is a classic with pork, sausages, chicken, liver, onion stuffing, pumpkin, squash, and in brown butter sauce for gnocchi and pasta. Fry whole leaves in butter or oil until crisp for a garnish. The flavour is strong, so use it sparingly.

Fresh sage keeps for a week in the fridge wrapped in damp paper. It dries well and keeps the flavour for a year in a jar, and also freezes well on the stem. Sage tea is a traditional remedy for sore throats.

Top tips

• Fry leaves in butter until crisp.
• Use sparingly: it’s strong.
• Dry bunches for winter.
• Pair with squash and pork.