List of Sage Plants
- People use sage in cooking, potpourri, and religious ceremonies.Sage at Night image by Gary Chorpenning from Fotolia.com
Sage belongs to the Lamiaceae family. The plant is widely known as a flavorful, culinary herb.The flavor of sage varies greatly depending on where it is grown and the type of garden soil in which it is grown. It grows well as a container plant indoors or as a landscaping plant outdoors. Native Americans have used this herb as a part of their rituals. Some people burn sage in their homes to neutralize odors. - Salvia greggii, commonly referred to as autumn sage, red Chihuahuan sage or Texas red sage originated in the Chihuahuan desert. This plant grows in full sun and is drought resistant. The leathery leaves are 1 inch long and elliptical in shape. The 1-inch flowers bloom mostly in red but you can also find different shades of pink and white. They bloom intermittently during the months of February to November. Autumn sage is a small evergreen shrub growing between 2 and 4 feet tall and has a 2-foot spread. Most of the branches originate near the base of the plant. It can take a hard freeze. It may look dead, but it does come back.
- Sage 'Berggarten' (Salvia officinalis 'Berggarten') is the cook's sage. It has a wonderful flavor and is richly aromatic. It grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 5 through 11, but grows equally well in a kitchen window. According to the Park Seed Co., the mound-shaped sage 'Berggarten' grows well in bright light and needs little care. The only thing this plant does not like is wet. winter soils. Drought resistant, this sage grows to a height of 24 inches and is 24 inches wide. The grayish-green leaves are big and rounded in shape. The butterflies and bees love this plant.
- Golden sage (Salvia officinalis 'Icterina') is included in garnishes, potpourri and as a seasoning. This sage does well as a potted plant grown indoors in the kitchen. The fuzzy feeling leaves are dark green and variegated with gold. If planted outdoors, the golden sage grows 2 feet high and wide. It grows well in full sun. It sends out a spike in mid-summer, which has bright blue blossoms. Bees and butterflies are attracted to this plant. This grows outdoors in zones 6 through 9.
- Common sage (Salvia officinalis) grows well in zones 5 through 8. This plant came to the North American soils in the 17th century. It grows best in full sun. This herb is used in a variety of cooking dishes like stuffing, sausage and pork. This shrubby perennial has velvety-textured leaves. They appear wrinkled, are about 2 inches long and are gray-green in color. They have blue and lavender blossoms on a spike that the plant sends up. This sage plant grows to a height of about 30 inches tall and spreads to about 3 feet. This plant has a growth span of about 4 years. After that, it becomes woody and leaves become sparse.
