75 days from sowing.
A long-lived evergreen perennial!
Introduced to North America in the 17th century, Sage has been used over the centuries for a wide variety of culinary and medicinal purposes. This hardy evergreen shrub is easy to grow and long-lived, a mainstay of the perennial border, herb garden, and containers for the patio and even the home. The aroma is enticing and the flavor fabulous. Be sure to grow plenty in your garden.
Many Americans associate sage with Thanksgiving, but this seasoning is useful in a wide range of dishes, from dressings and sausages to cheeses and meats. Try growing your own, and enjoy its superb flavor and aroma -- not to mention its attractive appearance -- for many seasons in the garden.
Sage is a shrubby plant, forming many side branches of velvety-textured, wrinkled, gray-green leaves about 2 inches long. Spikes of 1/2-inch violet, pink to white flowers appear in summer. The plant matures to 24 to 32 inches high and 36 inches wide.
Sow seeds at 60 to 70 degrees F. They take about 3 weeks to germinate, but then grow readily and can be transplanted when they have at least 2 sets of true leaves. Grow in well-drained to dry, neutral to alkaline soil in full sun.
Pick sage leaves as needed once the plant is growing well and has branched out nicely -- 75 days is a benchmark, but individual plants will vary depending upon conditions. Stop harvesting in fall, so that the plant can harden off for winter outdoors in the garden or containers.
Sage will become woody and leaf out sparsely after about 4 years; at that time, if you are growing it for culinary purposes, it is best to remove the entire plant and begin a new one.
Zones 5-8.
Pkt is 100 seeds.
Culinary sage (Salvia officinalis) is a perennial evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean region. Its smallish gray-green leaves have a pebbled or bumpy texture, and release a pungent but not unpleasant aroma. Although Sage flowers, it is primarily grown for its foliage, which should be harvested before the flower buds open.
Sage is used to flavor meat and fish, sausages and stuffing, salad, and a wide range of Mediterranean dishes. It is also a common ingredient in vinegars, soils, and sauces.
Choosing a Sage Variety
With more than 750 varieties of Sage available today, you might think that selecting one for the herb garden would be a daunting task. Most of these varieties are ornamental, however, and you can't go wrong with the classic Salvia officinalis, plain garden sage! There are also lovely golden- and purple-leaved variants on garden sage, which add plate appeal and garden beauty.
When to Start Sage Seeds
Sage seeds can be direct-sown into the warm spring soil after all danger of frost, but most gardeners find it easier to begin the seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last anticipated frost.
How to Start Sage Seeds
Sow the seeds in your Bio Dome or in seed flats. If using the Bio Dome, drop one seed into each Bio Sponge. If using seed flats, cover the seeds lightly with a thin layer of vermiculite.
Seeds should germinate anywhere from 10 to 21 days after sowing. They are ready to transplant when they have 2 sets of true leaves and stand about 4 inches high. Space them about 18 inches apart in the garden, or set them into containers.
Special Considerations
Growing Tips for Sage Plants
Pests and Problems to Watch For
Seedlings can occasionally fall victim to damping off, a fungal condition. To prevent this, make sure your potting mix or medium is sterile, bottom-water the seedlings, and avoid crowding.
Whitefly and mealybugs are sap-sucking pests that can harm your Sage. Whitefly is usually found on houseplants and in greenhouses, and is easily controlled by hanging a yellow sticky trap near the plants. Mealybugs can strike indoors or out, and are best dealt with by pruning off the affected branches or, if there are only a few bugs, using a Q-tip to coat them in rubbing alcohol or cooking oil.
Mildew can be a problem in humid or rainy climates, or with overhead watering. In the garden, site your Sage in an uncrowded area where air circulates freely, and use a soaker hose to bottom-water if possible.
This semi-shrubby, 2- 21/2 foot tall herb bears spikes of violet-blue, purple, white, or pink flowers in early summer. The velvety, gray-green leaves are used in sausage stuffing, meat dishes, egg and cheese dishes, and to make an herbal tea. An essence is extracted to use in soaps, perfumes, and to make yellow, cream, or gray-green dyes. Harvest them at any time for fresh use or for drying and storing. There are varieties with leaves that are purple or are tricolored green, white, and pink
Superior Germination Through Superior Science
First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.
Superior Standards - University Inspected
Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians
Park Seed has been handling and packing vegetable and flower seeds for 145 years, a history that has given us a great understanding of how each variety should be cared for and maintained throughout every step of theprocess, from collection to shipping.
When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.
The Park Seed Gold Standard
Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).
Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.
75 days from sowing.
A long-lived evergreen perennial!
Introduced to North America in the 17th century, Sage has been used over the centuries for a wide variety of culinary and medicinal purposes. This hardy evergreen shrub is easy to grow and long-lived, a mainstay of the perennial border, herb garden, and containers for the patio and even the home. The aroma is enticing and the flavor fabulous. Be sure to grow plenty in your garden.
Many Americans associate sage with Thanksgiving, but this seasoning is useful in a wide range of dishes, from dressings and sausages to cheeses and meats. Try growing your own, and enjoy its superb flavor and aroma -- not to mention its attractive appearance -- for many seasons in the garden.
Sage is a shrubby plant, forming many side branches of velvety-textured, wrinkled, gray-green leaves about 2 inches long. Spikes of 1/2-inch violet, pink to white flowers appear in summer. The plant matures to 24 to 32 inches high and 36 inches wide.
Sow seeds at 60 to 70 degrees F. They take about 3 weeks to germinate, but then grow readily and can be transplanted when they have at least 2 sets of true leaves. Grow in well-drained to dry, neutral to alkaline soil in full sun.
Pick sage leaves as needed once the plant is growing well and has branched out nicely -- 75 days is a benchmark, but individual plants will vary depending upon conditions. Stop harvesting in fall, so that the plant can harden off for winter outdoors in the garden or containers.
Sage will become woody and leaf out sparsely after about 4 years; at that time, if you are growing it for culinary purposes, it is best to remove the entire plant and begin a new one.
Zones 5-8.
Pkt is 100 seeds.
Culinary sage (Salvia officinalis) is a perennial evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean region. Its smallish gray-green leaves have a pebbled or bumpy texture, and release a pungent but not unpleasant aroma. Although Sage flowers, it is primarily grown for its foliage, which should be harvested before the flower buds open.
Sage is used to flavor meat and fish, sausages and stuffing, salad, and a wide range of Mediterranean dishes. It is also a common ingredient in vinegars, soils, and sauces.
Choosing a Sage Variety
With more than 750 varieties of Sage available today, you might think that selecting one for the herb garden would be a daunting task. Most of these varieties are ornamental, however, and you can't go wrong with the classic Salvia officinalis, plain garden sage! There are also lovely golden- and purple-leaved variants on garden sage, which add plate appeal and garden beauty.
When to Start Sage Seeds
Sage seeds can be direct-sown into the warm spring soil after all danger of frost, but most gardeners find it easier to begin the seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last anticipated frost.
How to Start Sage Seeds
Sow the seeds in your Bio Dome or in seed flats. If using the Bio Dome, drop one seed into each Bio Sponge. If using seed flats, cover the seeds lightly with a thin layer of vermiculite.
Seeds should germinate anywhere from 10 to 21 days after sowing. They are ready to transplant when they have 2 sets of true leaves and stand about 4 inches high. Space them about 18 inches apart in the garden, or set them into containers.
Special Considerations
Growing Tips for Sage Plants
Pests and Problems to Watch For
Seedlings can occasionally fall victim to damping off, a fungal condition. To prevent this, make sure your potting mix or medium is sterile, bottom-water the seedlings, and avoid crowding.
Whitefly and mealybugs are sap-sucking pests that can harm your Sage. Whitefly is usually found on houseplants and in greenhouses, and is easily controlled by hanging a yellow sticky trap near the plants. Mealybugs can strike indoors or out, and are best dealt with by pruning off the affected branches or, if there are only a few bugs, using a Q-tip to coat them in rubbing alcohol or cooking oil.
Mildew can be a problem in humid or rainy climates, or with overhead watering. In the garden, site your Sage in an uncrowded area where air circulates freely, and use a soaker hose to bottom-water if possible.
This semi-shrubby, 2- 21/2 foot tall herb bears spikes of violet-blue, purple, white, or pink flowers in early summer. The velvety, gray-green leaves are used in sausage stuffing, meat dishes, egg and cheese dishes, and to make an herbal tea. An essence is extracted to use in soaps, perfumes, and to make yellow, cream, or gray-green dyes. Harvest them at any time for fresh use or for drying and storing. There are varieties with leaves that are purple or are tricolored green, white, and pink
Superior Germination Through Superior Science
First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.
Superior Standards - University Inspected
Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians
Park Seed has been handling and packing vegetable and flower seeds for 145 years, a history that has given us a great understanding of how each variety should be cared for and maintained throughout every step of theprocess, from collection to shipping.
When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.
The Park Seed Gold Standard
Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).
Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.