Sage
Plant in spring rather than autumn so it roots before winter, and give it more room than looks necessary: a good sage is as wide as it is tall, and crowding it shortens its life.
Care
Full sun for the oils that give the flavour; in shade it grows lax and tastes of little.
Mediterranean — drought is fine, wet feet are not.
Light, free-draining, even poor. Sage on rich damp ground grows fast, tastes weak and rots in its second winter; on gritty soil it is woody, strong-flavoured and long-lived.
Trim lightly after flowering to keep it bushy, and shorten the whole plant by about a third in mid-spring once new growth shows. Never cut back into bare old wood — like lavender and rosemary, it will not break from it. Replace a sprawling, hollow-centred plant every four or five years rather than trying to renovate it.
Nothing, on open ground. Feeding gives soft leafy growth with less flavour and less winter hardiness. A pot-grown plant takes a weak general feed once in late spring, and no more.
Semi-ripe cuttings in late summer root in a few weeks and are the sensible way to keep a variety going, since a sage rarely stays good past five years. Low stems also layer themselves readily where they touch soil.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- AprilShorten the plant by a third once new growth shows, staying in the leafy wood. how ›
- MayStart picking regularly; frequent light picking keeps it bushy.
- JuneFlowering — good for bees, but pick the leaves before it flowers for the strongest flavour.
- JulyTrim lightly after flowering to stop it going lanky. how ›
- AugustTake semi-ripe cuttings; a sage is worth replacing every four or five years. how ›
- NovemberMake sure a pot drains freely over winter — standing wet kills more sage than cold does.
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- AprilShorten the plant by a third once new growth shows, staying in the leafy wood. how ›
- MayStart picking regularly; frequent light picking keeps it bushy.
- JuneFlowering — good for bees, but pick the leaves before it flowers for the strongest flavour.
- JulyTrim lightly after flowering to stop it going lanky. how ›
- AugustTake semi-ripe cuttings; a sage is worth replacing every four or five years. how ›
- NovemberMake sure a pot drains freely over winter — standing wet kills more sage than cold does.
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchShorten the plant by a third once new growth shows, staying in the leafy wood. how ›
- AprilStart picking regularly; frequent light picking keeps it bushy.
- JuneFlowering — good for bees, but pick the leaves before it flowers for the strongest flavour.
- JulyTrim lightly after flowering to stop it going lanky. how ›
- AugustTake semi-ripe cuttings; a sage is worth replacing every four or five years. how ›
- NovemberMake sure a pot drains freely over winter — standing wet kills more sage than cold does.
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchShorten the plant by a third once new growth shows, staying in the leafy wood. how ›
- AprilStart picking regularly; frequent light picking keeps it bushy.
- JuneFlowering — good for bees, but pick the leaves before it flowers for the strongest flavour.
- JulyTrim lightly after flowering to stop it going lanky. how ›
- AugustTake semi-ripe cuttings; a sage is worth replacing every four or five years. how ›
- DecemberMake sure a pot drains freely over winter — standing wet kills more sage than cold does.
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Bare sprawling stems with leaves only at the tips.
What to do. Cannot be renovated by hard pruning — take cuttings and replace the plant.
How to spot it. Blackened stems and collapse after a wet winter, especially in a pot.
What to do. Grit the soil, raise the pot on feet, and keep it out of standing water.
How to spot it. White coating in a dry, still summer.
What to do. Improve airflow, water at the base; pick off the worst leaves.
Questions
Sage: is it hardy?
H5: Hardy in most of the UK, but can struggle in the coldest inland or upland spots. It survives down to −15 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Yes — a large pot of gritty compost by the kitchen door suits it, provided it drains freely in winter.
Sage: when do you prune it?
Trim lightly after flowering to keep it bushy, and shorten the whole plant by about a third in mid-spring once new growth shows. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in April, July.
Sage: when does it flower?
In the climate of UK it flowers in June–July.
When do you feed it?
Nothing, on open ground. Feeding gives soft leafy growth with less flavour and less winter hardiness. A pot-grown plant takes a weak general feed once in late spring, and no more.