Sage, Salvia officinalis, is Herb of the Year 2001.
Salvia officinalis is the common garden variety sage. Do not confuse it with other plants "commonly" called sage such as Russian Sage (Perovskia) or Bethlehem Sage (Pulmonaria).
Here is what the common garden variety sage (Salvia officinalis) looks like:
As the pictures above prove, Salvia officinalis is an attractive enough plant but its herbal value has led herbalists to grow and appreciate it for its many useful qualities since ancient times. With such historic references, there is plenty of wonderful lore about sage and its healing properties as well as its use as a flavoring. Here is a brief introduction to the lore of sage and how to grow it in your garden.
Typically, sage needs a sunny location and should be grown in well drained soil; common garden sage is considered reliably hardy to zone 5. The plant reaches about two feet tall and wide and eventually becomes woody and may splay out or flop open with age. For the best performance, replace the plant every few years with a new one grown from a tip cutting or from seed. For the best flavor, harvest the foliage just before the plant comes into bloom. Trimming it back then will also help it stay bushy and denser at the base.
Sage is a strongly flavored and aromatic herb and is used traditionally in stuffings for roasted meats or poultry and in sausage. (See The Art and Practice of Sausage Making).
The salvia officinalis discussed above is a fine plant and is pretty enough to be used in all kinds of herb garden designs, including those intended to be both useful and decorative such as the wagon wheel garden. In particular, though, for a decorative use I suggest a named variety called "Berggarten" which has slightly more silvery and rounded leaves and is a bit more compact in habit so it looks tidier in the garden.
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