Plant of the month - sage

Evergreen, easy-going, shrubby sage is not just a classic Christmas ingredient, it’s also a long-lived and rewarding addition to your herb garden.  Common sage (Salvia officinalis) is the standard culinary sage and a relative of the ornamental salvias popular in mixed perennial borders.

Sage generally has soft, aromatic, olive-green leaves, although the variety S. officinalis ‘Purpurescens’ boasts dusky purple foliage.  The leaves alone are attractive, and sage also produces pretty purple flowers in early to mid-summer.

In the kitchen, the strong, peppery flavour of sage gives a boost to soups, sauces, marinades, stuffing and sausages.  Sage has medicinal properties too, and makes a delicious tea for soothing a sore throat or improving digestion.  Its scent is also helpful in the garden – if it’s planted close to brassicas or carrots it can deter pests such as butterflies and carrot fly.

As an evergreen, sage can be harvested all year round, which is why it’s so prevalent in winter dishes, but its new growth in spring is especially full of flavour.  You can either use it straight away in dishes or hang up bunches of sage in a cool, dark place to dry.

Sage is a drought-tolerant plant and likes warm, dry conditions which replicate its Mediterranean origins.  It’s happy in a sheltered, sunny border, or in a pot with plenty of drainage.  Give it plenty of space if you want it to grow to the size of a small shrub.  It’s a great companion for lavender and other Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary, thyme and oregano.