Tricolor and Golden sage are part of the Fall Magic Collection of plants from Proven Winners, available at garden centers and nurseries. The website of Color Spot Nursery, a wholesale company, has other ideas for using sage and other herbs in the landscape.
Sage is in harmony with its neighbor, so it makes a wonderful companion for flowering perennials. It doesn't push and shove other plants out of their rightful places.
Sage has all the attributes you expect in a plant. It offers texture, color, beauty, and fragrance.
My sage blooms faithfully during May or June. The tube-like, violet-blue blossoms, about 11/2" long, appear in whorls along the tops of the stems. They resemble those of the other members of the mint family.
Its gray wooly leaves, up to 21/2" long, are oval shaped. Bring on the dry weather, for this only accentuates the gray color.
All this plant requires is regular pruning. This will keep it from becoming woody. Otherwise it will need replaced every four or five years.
Give your sage a sunny or lightly shaded spot with well-drained soil, and it should do fine. Insects and diseases rarely bother them.
Garden sage is easily propagated from cuttings and seeds. I've taken cuttings in the fall before frost, and kept them indoors in a sunny window during the winter months until they're well rooted. Later in the spring after the danger of frost is past, I harden them off and plant them into my perennial beds.
Of the 900 species of sage known worldwide, the garden sage remains the most popular.
The Latin name for garden sage is Salvia officinalis. Salvia comes from the Latin, which means, "I am well" as a reference to its health-preserving qualities. Native to the Mediterranean area, sage was revered as a sacred plant by ancient Greeks and Romans. When gathering the plant for special ceremonies the Romans avoided using iron knives, as sage reacts with iron salts.
There is an ancient Arabic proverb that says, "How can a man die who has sage in his garden?" This saying made its way back to Europe following the Crusades.
Since ancient times people have used garden sage to enhance memory. Pliny recommended it for various ailments.
Sage was one of the plants that were grown in Charlemagne's gardens. He ordered that it be grown on his estates along with a list of other herbs, trees, and fruits.
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