How to Grow Sage

Start from transplants or cuttings

Sage is easy to start from seed, Wisconsin Extension notes, but seedlings are slow. Illinois Extension warns that seed may take several years to produce a fully harvestable plant, and Wisconsin notes that plants may not flower their first year. Most named varieties are propagated from cuttings anyway, so buying a transplant or rooting a cutting is the quickest way to a usable plant.

If you want to try seed, Wisconsin recommends sowing directly in the garden on your average last frost date or starting indoors 6 to 8 weeks before it. Wisconsin puts first harvest at about 75 days from planting.

Choosing a variety

Plain gray-green garden sage is the hardiest, rated for zones 4a to 10b by Wisconsin Extension. Colored forms are less tough. Illinois says golden, purple and tricolor sage are not dependably winter hardy in zone 5, and Wisconsin rates ‘Aurea’ (golden) and ‘Tricolor’ to zone 5b or 6a and ‘Purpurea’ (purple) to zone 6. They taste as good as green sage and make attractive ornamentals and container plants.

Wisconsin also describes ‘Berggarten’, with large, round, silvery leaves, a full, bushy habit and mildew resistance, hardy to zone 5a; ‘Compacta’, only about 10 inches tall, for small gardens and borders; ‘Holt’s Mammoth’, with large gray-green leaves; and ‘Extrakta’, a seed variety with higher essential oil content.

Site, soil and spacing

Give sage full sun, at least 6 hours a day. Soil drainage matters most. For sage to come back as a perennial, Illinois says, it must have very well-drained soil, especially over winter, and Maryland repeats that sage needs very well-drained soil to overwinter. Illinois recommends soil well prepared with compost; on heavy clay, a raised bed is the surest fix.

Sage tolerates drought and poor fertility once established, though Wisconsin notes it produces better with consistent water. Do not overfeed it.

Spacing varies by source: 18 to 24 inches (Wisconsin), 2 to 2½ feet (Maryland) and 30 inches (Texas A&M). Plants grow 2 to 3 feet tall and tend to sprawl with age, so the wider spacing suits gardens where they will stay several years. Good air circulation also reduces foliar disease.

Planting

Set transplants out after the danger of frost has passed, as Maryland advises; the dates for your zone above show when. Plant at the same depth as in the pot and water regularly until new growth starts.

In warm-winter regions, the calendar flips. UF/IFAS says sage can be started from seed or cuttings any time from fall through spring in Florida, and the UF/IFAS Osceola County herb calendar lists September-December and January-April for Central Florida, calling sage a short-lived perennial there. University of Arizona lists October-November and February-April for planting sage in Tucson.

Pruning and renewal

Sage turns woody and declines as it ages, which is why pruning matters more than feeding.

• Spring: Maryland recommends a hard pruning when you first see regrowth, removing dead, woody stems but not the new growth. Illinois says to prune just as new growth resumes.
• During the season: Wisconsin recommends pruning a few times through summer to encourage young, strongly flavored shoots and keep plants from getting leggy and flowering.
• After bloom: Maryland notes plants can be cut back once flowering is over.
• Renewal: Wisconsin calls garden sage a short-lived perennial, and Maryland says culinary sage should be replaced every 3 to 4 years. Wisconsin suggests dividing plants every few years to rejuvenate them, and layering branches in spring or fall.

Harvesting and storing

Pick leaves as needed through the season. Wisconsin recommends cutting 6 to 8 inches from the tops at least twice a season, and never removing more than half the plant at once. For the best flavor, harvest before or as the plant begins to bloom; Maryland, Wisconsin and Texas A&M all favor picking before or at flowering.

For drying, Illinois suggests cutting 6- to 8-inch stems, drying them, then removing the leaves and storing them in a sealed container. Illinois also notes leaves keep up to about two weeks loosely packed in plastic in the refrigerator, as long as they are dry.

Winter care and growing indoors

In cold regions, the biggest winter threat is not cold but soggy soil. Plant in your best-drained spot, or in a raised bed.

To keep fresh sage through winter, take softwood cuttings in summer; Wisconsin says they root readily in moist, well-drained potting mix, usually without rooting hormone. Maryland suggests late-summer cuttings, potted and moved indoors to a sunny spot, then replanted outdoors after the danger of frost has passed. Smaller varieties can also be grown in containers outdoors and brought in for winter, Wisconsin notes.

Common problems

Sage has few pests when it grows in well-drained soil, according to Wisconsin.

• Wilting, collapse and rotted roots: root rot or wilt from poorly drained or wet soil. Move to a raised bed or sharper drainage.
• Holes in low leaves in damp weather: slugs. Clear debris, then trap or hand-pick.
• Stippled, dull leaves with fine webbing: spider mites. Rinse foliage and monitor.
• Foamy masses on stems: spittlebugs. Usually cosmetic; wash them off.
• Leaf spots and mildew: foliar disease from poor air flow. Space plants more widely and prune to open them up.