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About Sage 
Its Latin name is salvere which means "to be in good health". The Romans cherished the herb known to them as herba sacra, used to cure snakebites, depression and sterility and to promote long life. Sage has always held a magical aura most likely stemming from its unique healing and curative properties that were not fully understood long ago. It was considered so valuable that the Chinese traded 3 pounds of tea leaves for 1 pound of dried sage leaves. Greek physicians held sage to be sacred because of its healing powers. Ultimately, to be a “sage” was to have the wisdom and knowledge of healing.
Sage is among the best herbal choices for killing bacteria, but it is also amazing for culinary uses. Italian cooks have used it for centuries to add a saporous kick to sauces and meat dishes. Americans all know sage from our traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinners.
There are many uses for getting to know sage and growing this wonderful perennial herb in your garden. Not only is it very useful in many ways, but it is a beautifully decorative addition to your landscape and grows in many variations of color and scent.
Sages encompass a very large variety of plants - over 900 varieties of sage exist - but only a handful are useful for cooking.
Planning
Sage plants can be easily started indoors or in the garden in early spring from seed. However, plants grown from seed do not always have the same leaf shape or even color of the parent plant. A much better way to grow high-quality sage with control over color and leaf form is to do so from cuttings.
Sage thrives in full sun and requires a steady supply of moisture while they are young.
Preparation
Preparing your garden for sage is fairly simple as all that is required is a sunny location and plenty of moisture when the plants are tender and young. Thin seedlings so they stand 24 to 30 inches apart. The ideal soil pH is 6.4.
Sages do well as a container plant, but only if done as an annual even though they are hardy biennials. They tend to deteriorate after the first year when pot-bound.
Care
Sage will become woody fairly quickly so each spring prune the heavier, woody stems from the plants. The quality of sage will start to lessen after four or five years, so plan on digging up older plants and replacing them with new ones.
Sage does well to be trimmed to shape as a topiary plant only after having flowered.
Pests / Disease
Garden-Helper.com does not currently have information about pests and diseases that affect sage. Check back soon as we are looking to discover more information constantly.
Harvesting
Leaves may be used fresh or dried. Mature leaves have the most essential oil content and are best for drying. Gather foliage when dry and bunch loosely together. Hang in a cool dark location with good air circulation until dry. This will take about a week. Store dried leaves in an air tight container out of bright light.
If you will be harvesting the sage for drying do this before the plant flowers as the leaves will be at their best just before flowering.
Flowers are also edible and may be harvested as they open.
Sage Varieties
There are over 900 varieties of sage, but the common garden sage is the one most of us recognize. There are variations of the garden sage grown as striking ornamentals and known by their differences in leaf color. Purple sage (Salvia officianalis cv. Purperescens) is probably the most common of these followed by golden sage (Salvia officinalis cv. Aurea), and tricolor sage (Salvia officinalis cv. Tricolor). All of these ornamental varieties are great accents to the garden but they do tend to be less hardy than garden sage.
Shop for Sage Needs
Garden-Helper.com does not currently have a recommended supplier for sage gardening needs, however check back soon.
Sage Links
Recent Forum Entires About Sage
Garden Blog Entries about Sage
Articles and Recipes With Sage
Article: Edible Flowers In Your Garden
Recipe: Lemon Chicken with Sage