Latin verb salvere, to heal, so-called for the healing properties believed to exist in Salvia officinalis or common sage. It is linked with long life and glowing health and was once so valued by the Chinese that they would pay three pounds of tea for one pound of the herb in trading with Europeans.


Salvia: the surprising sage family O


ne of the most diverse and in- teresting flower groups of the plant world is salvia, from the


But sage is much more than a herb. In this fascinating genus of the mint fam- ily, there are over 700 species of annu- als, perennials and shrubs. They grow all over the world and can be recognized by their unique flower shape consisting of a two-part tube with a flat lower lip and a helmet-shaped upper lip. Salvia flowers range in colour from white to blue to mauve and pink to red, and occasionally yellow. The flowers appear as racemes along slender stalks. Sage requires well- drained soil and a sunny site and is much beloved by bees and butterflies. Foliage varies greatly, both in shape and


in colour. Leaves can range from the one- to two-inch, soft velvet, medium-green of common sage to the silver-haired, six to eight-giant mature leaves of Salvia ar- gentea or silver sage. This native to North Africa (zones 6 to 9) is now being seen in local garden centres where it grows as an annual and can spread up to three feet wide in a single season. The leaves are tru- ly lovely, capturing and holding light with an almost-halo effect. In its second year in early summer it will send up a three-foot vertical stem of small white flowers which can be allowed to go to seed and harvested for next year’s growth in temperate zones. Here, however, it is worth growing for its show-stopping leaves alone.


Most local gardeners are familiar with


Salvia officinalis, common or culinary sage, with its grey-green, narrow, long- oval leaves and its lavender (sometimes white) flowers that emerge in spring. This is the sage that is used in cooking,


Salvia viridis.


but it has also long been heralded for its medicinal qualities, which are reported to be beneficial in the treatment of every- thing from warts to snake bite. The es- sential oils of sage are considered to be anti-bacterial and an effective astringent. It is still used to treat bleeding gums and sore throat. Sage is also known to dispel intestinal gas and, in cooking, it is often paired with fatty meats or beans. Some- times called the “brain herb” because of its reputed ability to strengthen mental powers, common sage is also a decora- tive, very hardy plant which has the added virtue of being drought-resistant. There are cultivars with blue-gray leaves, pur- ple-tinged leaves, golden leaves, marbled green and yellow leaves and green and cream variegated leaves. Salvia sclarea or clary sage is a biennial


plant with velvety, nearly heart-shaped, puckered leaves which, at the top of the stems, grow in white, lilac, rosy mauve or pale blue. It is very attractive to hum- mingbirds. Exuding a musky odor when touched, this plant smells like grapes when it is used in perfumery and cosmet-


Salvia 'Victoria blue'.


ics. It is also used as a eye wash – hence its name “clary” from Latin clarus mean- ing to clear. Similar is Salvia viridis, some- times also known as clary sage, which has purple to pinky-red bracts that are the chief attraction as its flowers are insignifi- cant. A wonderful salvia, Salvia farinicae, mealycup sage, has tall purple spikes of flowers. Rated for zones 8 to 11, it


is


grown as an annual where it makes a strik- ing statement in pots and containers later in the summer. Victoria, a deep, almost purple, blue, is the favoured variety here, but the silvery-white Argent, with its grey stems and leaves, is equally attractive. A favourite perennial sage is Salvia nem-


erosa, which is very similar to S. x sylvestris and S. x superba, all three of which grow in rounded clumps up to three feet tall with dense spikes of blue or purple-blue flow- ers set off by dark green, crinkly leaves. This is a wonderful, long-flowering plant that will put forth a healthy second flush after deadheading. It is irresistible to bees. Not to be overlooked, in spite of its in- stitutional reputation as a denizen of parks


The Salvia 'Black and Blue' blossom.


and public spaces, is the brazen Salvia splendens or scarlet sage with its brilliant red plumage. This is a compact plant, 15 inches tall at best, but often shorter, and it is usually planted in dense, uniform ranks where its bright red flowers march in tight formation often set off by equally uptight plantings of alyssum. In this sal- via, both the calyx and the corolla are red and set in densely flowered racemes above deep green ovate leaves with slightly ser- rated edges. It also comes in a variety of other colours from white to pink to bur- gundy. A deep red-purple variety, quite new, makes a statement of its own with the purple-foliaged plants. Sometimes the looser-flowered Salvia coccinea ‘Lady in Red’ is substituted for S. splendens. To conclude on a high note, another


fairly new introduction is the Salvia ‘Black and Blue’. The flowers are a lovely indigo blue surrounded by a black calyx both rising on a strain stalk from bright green ovate leaves. While the variety is not par- ticularly showy at a distance, planted in a container, its unique colouration attracts admiring attention.


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August 2016


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