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James H. Schutte
Lamiaceae
SALVIA officinalis 'Aurea'
Culinary Sage
The bright, variegated leaves of this ornamental culinary sage offer year round interest to herb and perennial gardens alike. 'Aurea' has yellowish gray-green leaves with irregular gold edges that also maintain the good flavor and pungency of standard sage.
Whether used to flavor sausage, Thanksgiving stuffing or butter for pasta, sage is a favorite herb in western cooking. This semi-woody perennial is an age old culinary herb has been used to flavor foods in home gardens for centuries. Other historical references include it as an ingredient for medicinal teas and poultices during The Middle Ages. It is native to Europe and northern Africa where it naturally grows in Mediterranean chaparral shrub lands and open areas.
Garden sage is a bushy plant that produces long, soft, gray-green leaves that are evergreen to semi-evergreen and fragrant when lightly rubbed. Like most aromatic herbs, the aroma comes from glandular hairs filled with aromatic oil. These oil-filled hairs are found just along the surface of the leaves and are called trichomes. In late spring to early summer upright stems of two-lipped, lilac-blue flowers appear. These are subtly attractive, lightly fragrant and particularly attractive to bees. Cut the spent stems to maintain a neat appearance and encourage new leaf development. Garden sage will not rebloom, even if deadheaded.
This perennial herb is a joy to grow because it is pretty, functional and easy. It requires full sun and very well-drained soil. Excessive moisture at the root zone can lead to root rot. Avoid mulching it too. Once established, sage is very drought tolerant and will thrive where growing conditions drier, though it will also flourish in areas with regular rain if provided sharply drained soil and high light.
Harvest sage leaves year round for culinary purposes. They may be eaten fresh or stems can be hung upside down to dry and stored for later use. Sage also doubles as a resilient garden ornamental. It looks super in rock gardens, mixed borders and containers.
8 - 5
5 - 8
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Perennial
Full Sun, Partial Sun
1'-2' / 0.3m - 0.6m
2'-3' / 0.6m - 0.9m
Late Spring, Early Summer
Europe, Mediterranean, Northern Africa
Neutral, Alkaline
Well Drained
Loam, Sand
Fast
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
Clump-Forming
Spring, Summer, Fall
Showy
Lavender, Blue Violet
Brown
Gray Green, Yellow Green, Gold
Variegated
Gray
Yes
No
Single
Medium
Matte
Semi-Evergreen
Container, Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall
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