Now that you have your supplies, it’s time to prepare to plant your herbs. Sage plants can be started from seed, root cuttings, or transplants. Sage plant is generally not a victim of pests, but sometimes it can be disturbed by spittlebugs, spider mites, and thrips. ", "I'm a newby and appreciate your advice!". Despite withstanding drought conditions, Mexican bush sage is a lovely accent plant that is a tender perennial with purple and white spikes. If you do decide to sow seed, do so into small pots in spring and cover with a thin layer of perlite. If using the Bio Dome, drop one seed into each Bio Sponge. Keep the soil damp but not soaked. They are also used in cooking, but unlike common sage, they do not bloom often. Read on to learn why growing sage in your garden can give your numerous benefits: Sage is a drought-tolerant plant and grows best in well-drained soil. Many sages do well in pots. Can I grow sage outside in Alaska, where it's frozen all winter? This is a wonderful website! Just enough information without being too wordy! Even if it starts to wilt, it’ll typically perk up with water. Mostly regions lying in the planting zones 5 to 8, most sage varieties would simply turn dormant during winters, but they almost always come back in spring. Sage also gives tantalizing flavor to fall and winter risottos and squash dishes. Keep it up! ", "Several options on how to grow, cultivate and harvest. No. But when they reach maturity, you should only water sage when the soil surrounding the plant is dry to the touch. It is generally known as a showstopper of fall dishes, complementing poultry and pork, pairs excellently with lamb, and is usually used in Thanksgiving stuffing. The germination process takes up to 6 weeks and not all seeds germinate. I do tend to overwater and eventually lose the plant, especially when I have it planted with, "I bought 4 sage plants hoping to plant in a shady garden spot, but after reading your article, I've decided to try, "Helped me to identify and learn about growing some seedlings I received as a present. Use a wire to pin the stem to the ground. Sow the seeds in your Bio Dome or in seed flats. When is the best time to transplant purple sage? Transplant into a pot for a few weeks before putting them in the ground. Hardy through mild frosts. Remember, if the sage plant is exposed to a lot of shade, it’ll turn leggy and flop over. If there are any signs of pests, try using insecticidal soap or organic pesticides to keep them under control. In colder areas, small plants can be potted up in fall and grown through winter indoors. It looks pleasant in the garden and grows pretty purple, pink, blue or white flowers in summer. Growing sage from seeds needs patience because they take longer to germinate. Follow along with this handy How to Grow Sage from seeds Guide and grow some flavour. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 236,349 times. Plant outdoors up to two weeks before the last frost and leave 30 inches between the seeds or cuttings when planting. You can try Lowes, Home Depot or your local nursery. In fact, in some climates you won't need to water your sage at all - they'll get all the moisture they need from rainfall. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Andrew Carberry has been working in food systems since 2008. Grow sage in well-drained soil in full sun. Once the leaves grow large enough, you can snip them off and dry them out for future use. It usually has a long growing season to the extent that in certain areas, sage remains evergreen. Finally, the first sage sapling is visible. It can be challenging to grow white sage from seeds because the germination rate is low. Place the seed tray or pots in a location that is room temperature. If you plant it in a cold, frozen environment, there is a huge possibility it will not grow at all and will just wither away. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. If you’re a nature enthusiast, adding sage to your homegrown herb mix would be an excellent idea to attract bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. White sage is a slow-growing, evergreen perennial shrub that can approximately three years mature and grows two to three feet in height. If starting seeds indoors, sow under plant lights 6-8 weeks before the last expected frost. If mildew does occur on your sage plant, try spritzing it with a sulfur spray or horticultural oil. Sage’s disinfecting properties make it an excellent natural mouthwash that is believed to prevent dental cavities and plaque. Sage is an herb that's a hardy perennial with soft, green leaves. Sage loves full sun and well-drained soil. Growing Sage from Seeds Planting sage seeds requires patience, as sage seeds are slow to germinate. If mildew does develop on you plant, try spritzing it with a horticultural oil or sulfur spray. On the other hand, if you belong to the humid zones nine or anywhere south, it’ll most likely be an annual. Once the threat of freezing ends, but before new sage growth begins, prune the woodier, older, sage stems in early spring. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Your support helps wikiHow to create more in-depth illustrated articles and videos and to share our trusted brand of instructional content with millions of people all over the world. If you decide to use clay soil, try mixing in some organic matter and sand as this lightens the soil and significantly helps with drainage. Sage grows well in a variety of climates, and it can survive in temperatures as low as zero degrees Fahrenheit. This plant thrives in hot to cool, dry environments, another herb that hails from a Mediterranean environment. So if you buy any product from our link, then we may get a small commission from it. Last Updated: July 2, 2020 Once they’re dry, store the leaves, crumbled or whole, in an airtight container. Harvest the leaves as and when you need to and trim back perennial types after flowering. This article was co-authored by Andrew Carberry, MPH. Step 4: Watering When the sage plant is young, you should … Collecting seed from Jerusalem sage Perennial phlomis can be propagated by division in spring, while cuttings can be taken from shrubby phlomis. Maybe you should produce a kind of "Guide" book using wikiHow. However, high output fluorescent, compact fluorescent, or high intensity discharge (metal halide or high pressure sodium) plant growing lights work better and, if used, should be placed 2–4 feet (0.6–1.2 m) about the plants. Sage thrives well in a rich, loamy, clay soil that drains well and is also high in nitrogen. Layering sage. Sage grows best when it is planted with other perennial herbs, such as thyme, oregano, marjoram and parsley. Ensure that the seeds are planted in late spring in a container or a garden bed about 1/8-inch-deep and twenty-four to thirty inches apart. You should probably make new plants using the above laying and cuttings advice. Apart from its lovely foliage and aromatic taste, what makes sage so special? Sage can be dried and used as a spice in many different types of recipes. Instead, it has a sweet smell of freesia that attracts hummingbirds and can be used to make tea. But some of the more popular types of sage that are commonly used are: Garden Sage – It’s one of the most common varieties of sage and is also generally referred to as ‘common sage.’ It is hardy and can easily resist harsh winters while bouncing back each spring. Most interesting. Scatter the seeds over seed starting soil and cover them with 1/8 inch of soil. Dip the trimmings in rooting hormone and place in sterile sand. Use a scissor to cut it off or strip the lower leaves from the branch. Sage is a perennial that grows in zones 4-8. On the other hand, if you live in zone 9 or further south, if you’re in zones nine and further south, the sage plant would most likely be a one-year or annual plant. Ideally, sage should be planted approximately 24 inches apart. Sage is a hardy perennial with pretty, grayish green leaves that like as good in a perennial border as they do in a vegetable garden. If you decide to plant seeds, they should be planted in late spring (in a bed or in a container) about 1/8 inch deep and 24 to 30 inches apart. Sage thrives most when planted with other perennial herbs like oregano, thyme, parsley, and marjoram. Difficulty Easy but slow. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a9\/Grow-Sage-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Grow-Sage-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/a9\/Grow-Sage-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid549515-v4-728px-Grow-Sage-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"