Sage not only tastes delicious as a tea or spice, but also helps with sore throats and respiratory diseases. The herb, which can usually be cultivated as a perennial, is very easy to care for and can be easily propagated by cuttings. In this article, you can find out exactly how to propagate sage and what you should look out for when overwintering and cutting sage.
In our latitudes, it is not quite as warm and sunny as in the home of the culinary herb. For this reason, sage seeds are pre-grown on the windowsill from March to April. The seeds are sown 1 cm/0.4 in deep in low-nutrient potting compost or herb soil and kept evenly moist. The small seedlings will appear after 7 to 14 days. After the last frosts, the plant can then be moved to the garden. Before moving, you should harden off the sensitive young plants for about a week and acclimatize them to the outdoor climate and direct sunlight. Direct sowing outdoors is only possible after the Ice Saints (from mid-May). You can find out more about Planting, Sowing and Harvesting Sage in this article.
Caution: Sage is undisputedly a valuable medicinal plant. However, it is not advisable to consume it over a longer period of time, as its essential oils contain the neurotoxin thujone. Only the variety "Spanish sage"(Salvia landulifolia) does not contain thujone.
Once in the garden, sage is not a complicated crop to grow and requires little care. It is well adapted to drought and provides itself with water through its deep roots. You should therefore only water moderately so that the water cannot build up. The rule here is: less is more. It is not particularly hungry for nutrients and is easy to please, so it does not usually need to be fertilized. True sage is insensitive to diseases. It is only susceptible to powdery mildew in heavy rain with waterlogging after a dry period.
It is essential to prune aromatic and medicinal herbs regularly. This keeps the shrub in shape, stimulates the growth of new shoots and prevents lignified shoots from dying off. As pruning is associated with stress for the plant, the fall is not suitable for pruning. The plant can otherwise be damaged by frost or heavy rain. It is better to prune after the harvest in summer and to carry out more intensive rejuvenation pruning before the growing season in early spring, but only when late frosts are no longer expected.
Not every sage variety is hardy and can overwinter outdoors. Varieties such as true sage (Salvia officinalis) or clary sage (Salvia sclarea) are hardy types of sage. Leave all the branches on the plant over the winter. Even if they wither, they offer additional protection from the cold. The plant retreats into the root ball and the protection of the soil and sprouts anew in spring. The silver leaf sage (Salvia argentea) is particularly resistant to cold and can survive temperatures down to -28 °C/-18.4 ° F. Although some varieties are hardy, they should be protected with a fleece in frosts below -10 °C/14 ° F. You can find More Tips on Overwintering Perennial Plants in this article.
In our library you will find information on the individual varieties, including the cultivation period, whether they are hardy or frost-resistant and tips on planting and harvesting. You will also find good and bad companion plants to help you plan a mixed crop.
Check out Our LibraryVariegated varieties are more sensitive and should be protected throughout the winter. These include exotic sage species such as the honeydew sage (Salvia elegans) or the sky-blue gentian sage (Salvia patens). In their native habitat, they do not require winter hardiness and are therefore very sensitive to the cold. These varieties are best grown in a pot and kept in a bright place with temperatures between 5 and 15 °C/41 and 59 ° F throughout the winter. When growing in a pot, it is particularly important to wrap the pot and the plant well with fleece. The cold simply passes through the pot and reaches the roots directly, making the shrub particularly vulnerable. Then place the plant on insulating material such as wood in a place protected from the wind and cold. A place on a house wall with plenty of sunlight or an unheated greenhouse is very suitable for this.
Sage can only be propagated by cuttings. The best time to take these cuttings is between the end of April and the beginning of June. At this time, the shoots are at the optimum stage of maturity: not too soft, but not yet woody. You can combine the cuttings directly with pruning to keep the shrub in shape.
If you want to make a cutting, cut off so-called head cuttings, which are non-lignified shoot tips with three to four pairs of leaves. Cut them off directly below a leaf node with an oblique cut, as this is where the concentration of growth substances is greatest and the cutting can form roots more easily. These shoot tips are then placed in water to grow roots. To do this, the lower leaves are removed. At least two leaves should remain. The other leaves would only rob the plant of energy, which it should now put into root formation. The remaining leaves are shortened by about half. This reduces the surface area, less water evaporates and makes it easier for the plant to grow.
I wish you every success with growing sage. Hopefully you now have everything you need to know to successfully care for, propagate and overwinter your sage.
If you have any questions or comments, please write to us at [email protected].
Want to get helpful gardening tips all year round and plan your own beds in the best possible way? Then register here or download the Fryd app for Android or iOS.
Fryd - Your digital bed planner
Cover picture by photosforyou on Pixabay
Marie is an agronomist. She is particularly interested in the sustainable and organic cultivation of vegetables and other plants. In her own garden, she gained experience and likes to try things out to learn from nature. She is particularly interested in the values and principles of permaculture, in order to contribute not only to the well-being of nature, but also to the well-being of people and future generations.
Learn MoreLiked 3 times
We held a chili workshop on Friday. Together we cooked a sweet and sour sauce, a chili oil and a sriracha. Beforehand, there was a visit to the tunnel where most of our chillies grow and a short tasting ranging from mild to super hot 🔥 The participants were then able to adjust their sauces accordingly. We had great fun and would like to thank Fryd for the goodies 😍
Show 1 answerLiked 1 times
Ground frost, cold nights and little sun during the day - time to sum up my gardening year: I concentrated on container planting on the patio, I also cultivated two raised beds there. The carrots and radishes have thrived very well, regardless of the variety. Kohlrabi suffered from the cabbage white butterfly. With the cucumbers, I had to contend with downy mildew during the hot period and powdery mildew during the rainy period. Vorgebirgstrauben were very successful, Marketmore were mediocre and unfortunately I had little success with Diva and other smooth varieties. With tomatoes, the small Supersweet were outstanding, San Marzano, Montfavet, Matina, Ranger quite ok and Marmande and the small bush tomatoes of various varieties were disappointing. I wasn't happy with the beetroot either, but the spring onions and garlic did well. Strawberries disappointed me, but pineapple cherries bore abundantly. All the lettuce varieties were more or less successful due to the weather, as were the various herbs. Zucchinis on the compost were mediocre, watermelons and pumpkins were very poor. In 2026, I will switch back to smaller pots of 15 and 30 liters and plant blueberries in the 80-liter pots. I didn't have good experiences with the planting bags, firstly they were difficult to move in the 30 and 60 l sizes, and secondly I couldn't really regulate the water balance well. What is your conclusion?
Show 1 answerLiked 1 times
Soil life on the move or weighing up 🤔 It's easier to freeze together!
Winterizing Beds and the Garden: How to Do It
How to Make Comfrey Salve/Ointment: Recipe, Use & Effect
How to Make Horsetail Tea for Plants: Benefits, Uses & Recipe
Harvest Time: When to Harvest Vegetables?
Lime Fertilizer: Tips for Properly Liming Garden Soil
Growing & Harvesting Rocket: Good & Bad Companion Plants
Harvesting and Storing Onions, Spring Onions & Shallots
How to Get Rid of Voles in the Garden: How It Works
Pruning and Propagating Gooseberries: A Guide
Companion Plants for Swiss Chard: What (Not) to Plant With Swiss Chard?
When is the best time to cut sage?
The best time is in the fall after harvest time. You can then prune again in early spring before the sage sprouts again.
Can you propagate sage from cuttings?
You can easily propagate sage as cuttings. To do this, cut off an unlignified shoot tip, remove all but two leaves and root the cutting in water.
Not every sage variety is hardy and suitable for overwintering outdoors. However, hardy varieties include true sage (Salvia officinalis) and clary sage (Salvia sclarea).
What else is there to consider when caring for sage?
Otherwise, the sage is very easy to care for. It is well adapted to drought and only needs to be watered during very dry periods. The true sage is not very susceptible to diseases, only powdery mildew can be a problem when waterlogged.