Medieval herb garden blog 95: Sage

Week 95 volunteer update

Last week, Kim completed her time in the Medieval Herb Garden on Friday rather than Monday, with lots of little witches, wizards and spooky tots wandering around enjoying our half term activities! She cut some of the liquorice and tall rosemary and also cleared leaves from the wall.

On Monday this week, it was a beautiful autumn morning at the castle, with lots of visitors strolling around and chatting. 

Kim cut back the rosemary that drapes over the wall of the herb garden. She then tackled the leaves at the other side on the lavender border using the very handy leaf grabbers. She managed to clear all the way down and even got on with some weeding. Given that it is now autumn and we have lots of trees, this will be an ongoing task!

Plant of the week: Sage (salvia officinalis)

'Salvia officinalis' has been classified under many other scientific names over the years. This includes six different names since 1940.

'Salvia' comes from the Latin word 'salveo' meaning 'to heal or save'. 'Officinalis' is Latin for 'belonging to an officina', referring to a room where medicinal and household goods were kept.

'Sage' comes via Middle English 'sawge' and Old and Middle French 'sauge'. Its other common names are common sage, kitchen sage, garden sage, golden sage, true sage, culinary sage, dalmatian sage, broadleaf sage, and narrow-leaved sage.

Sage is native to the Mediterranean area. It it thought to have been introduced to Britain by the Romans. It is a small, evergreen, spreading, semi-woody, aromatic, perennial, subshrub. It prefers to grow in either South or West-facing, full-sun or partial shade, and in any moist but well-drained soil that isn’t clay based.

It grows to a height and spread of up to 3 ft (90 cm). The new year’s growth has stems that are green, fuzzy, and square, but become woody the following year. The leaves are opposite and oval to oblong. They are typically 1 inch (2.5 cm) long and ½ inch (1.25 cm) wide, with a slightly wrinkled, textured surface and shallowly crenate margins. The foliage is generally grey-green to silvery-green, due to a dense covering of fine hairs (trichomes). The leaves are thick, slightly leathery and soft to the touch, with a prominent midrib and short petiole. When crushed, the foliage releases a strong aromatic scent due to the essential oils it contains.

There are three main types of 'salvia officinalis': common sage, narrow-leaved sage, and broadleaved sage. Although the same species, the leaves of these have different sizes and shapes as suggested by their names.

Sage flowers from July to September. The flowers are small, two-lipped (bilabiate) flowers arranged in whorls along upright flower spikes. The flowers are usually violet-blue to purple, although white and pink forms also occur. White-flowered sages are documented in English gardens by John Parkinson’s 'Theatrum Botanicum' in 1640. Each flower is typically around 1 inch (2.5 cm) long and emerges from a short, hairy calyx. The upper lip of the flower is hood-shaped and protects the stamens, while the lower lip is broader and three-lobed.

Sage has a fibrous, branching root system consisting of a main root with numerous smaller lateral roots. The roots are generally brown to pale brown and become woodier with age.

The seeds of sage are small, smooth, and oval to slightly rounded. They develop inside the dried flower calyces. The seeds are typically dark brown to black when mature.