Sage, Garden

Not just a delicious herb in the kitchen, garden sage is also a powerful antioxidant and preservative with potent anti-inflammatory effects.

When a species name contains the word ‘officinalis’ it implies that it has traditionally been used as a medicinal plant (scroll through the shop page and you’ll notice calendula, hyssop, marshmallow, valerian and others all share the same name…). There are many hundreds of species of sage, and even more varieties and cultivars. But it is Salvia officinalis – the most common of culinary sages – that is also traditionally recognised as the official ‘medicinal’ species.

A Mediterranean herb, garden sage prefers full sunshine and well-drained sandy soil. It flowers in early summer, producing prolific pinks and purples that can match most ornamental sage species. It is by far the tastiest of sages and should be grown close to the kitchen. All in all, a wonder plant that no garden should be without.