Herb

Garden Sage, or Salvia officinalis, to use its botanical name, is one of about 1,000 species of sage. Many are both fragrant and ornamental, and so of immense value as garden plants, but in addition, Garden Sage has culinary, medicinal, and other properties that aid neighboring plants to resist pests and disease.

In the Mediterranean and other dry climates, it is doubly of value because of its hardiness to drought and its capacity to thrive in the alkaline soils common to most dry climates. Despite requiring some care and attention, it is easy to grow, just requiring a good prune in the spring and after flowering, to encourage a compact and dense habit.

Herbal, Culinary, and Medicinal Benefits

Different cultures have developed varied uses of sage leaves. In Europe and North America they are used to flavor meats, gravies and sources, while in the Middle East and the Mediterranean region, they find their way in a multitude of salads.

Try putting a couple of fresh leaves in a plate of sliced, hard, white cheese, a sliced tomato, a sprinkle of lemon juice and olive oil, and salt and pepper. Take out the leaves after about 20 minutes so that the sage does not make the salad too bitter.

Many medical claims have been made for Salvia officinalis. While some of these are far-reaching and possibly far-fetched, the consensus points to the antiseptic properties of the oils contained in the plant’s leaves. A simple way to benefit from these is to immerse sage leaves for about 10 minutes in a boiling pot of tea. Garden Sage leaves are of course an essential component in aromatherapy.

A Fine Ornamental Plant

Irrespective of its herbal qualities, Salvia officinalis, more than justifies its existence as a beautiful ornamental plant, whether in a herb garden or a flowerbed. Its foliage is attractive all the year round, while its blue, purple flowers make a worthy contribution to any border. It can be listed with those perennials that “hold” a flowerbed during the seasons when many of the flowering plants are passed their best and need to be cut-down or replaced.

Furthermore, one can plant together, a number of varieties of the species, in order to create variation on a theme; always a good ploy in garden design. In addition to the species itself, with its grey-green foliage, there are varieties with purple-colored leaves, variegated foliage, and the famous variety “Tricolor”, whose grayish leaves have an irregular cream border.

Garden Sage to the Aid of Neighboring Plants!

Salvia officinalis appears to repel many pest insects from its vicinity, while attracting bees to gather the nectar from its flowers. That may explain why a border containing Garden Sage is invariably free of pathogenic insects, the odd chewed leaf here or there, notwithstanding. Some people are put-off by the thought of attracting bees to their garden, but if unmolested, they are not threatening, and perform a vital role in pollinating flowering plants, and in the general sanitation of the garden.

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