When you have decided to plant growing clary sage for your home needs, you have made an excellent choice. This perennial herb can be grown for a long time if you properly care for it. Growing clary sage as a herb for home consumption is safe for consumption as long as it is under the care of a grower experienced with this type of herbs. The clary plant is very hardy and will survive even with minimal care. Clary sage has many uses for herb gardens.
Clary sage planting offers these advantages and is easy for the home gardeners. This herb grows to about four to five feet tall and blooms in the spring. In fact the beautiful blue flowers are the favorites of many gardeners. Clary Sage is a bi-annual, which starts out as a small shrub in the spring and will blossom a flower in the third year.
Clary sage may have many uses for the gardener. It has a soothing flavor and is used to soothe burns, coughs, stomach upset, insect bites, sore throats, and menstrual pains. The essential oils of this herb may be diluted and applied to an insect bite or stung area to soothe the pain. It has a unique flavor that some compare to a blend of mint and grapefruit. This distinctive flavor is also beneficial when applied as a digestive aid.
The clary sage herb is grown as an ornamental plant in the garden for its beautiful blue flowers and elegant golden arch. These flowers attract butterflies to the garden bringing enjoyment to the whole family. Clary sage bushes are very hardy and withstand cold climates well. Clary sage herbs are highly recommended for the home gardener because it is one of the best herbs for the home gardener and the landscaper alike.
A perennial, this aromatic plant can be expected to return to the same place it was planted year after year. With some care and pruning, this plant blooms to full bloom. The genus Salvia produces hundreds of species of annuals, perennials and biennials. Some of the most popular herbs of the same family are: sage, cardoon, oregano, sage rhizome, sage with a rhizome, sweet marjoram, mint, Rosemary, scented hyssop, and lemon balm. Each plant of the sage family is related to a specific region of Spain.
Planting should be done in the morning when the sun is at its hottest. The plant flowers well during the afternoon. Once planted, water regularly but do not overwater. The climate of the Mediterranean is cool and the temperatures are warm year round. The Mediterranean Garden Sage likes moist, slightly alkaline soil.
Caring for your garden will require frequent trimming. The young shoots should be removed frequently because they are susceptible to disease. As the plant matures, the vigorous stems are covered with long thin hairs that fall off in the summer. You can pinch these long hairs off in the summer and pluck them as necessary.
In southern parts of Spain, the plant is known as “toluco.” In central Asia, this plant is known as “code de verano.” The rootstock is about an inch tall and has gray-green glossy leaves that grow in bundles. The flowers are white-to-yellow and have a trumpet-style flowerpot. The plant flowers in spring, growing to about six inches. The tender young growth is covered with a fuzzy green foliage.
It’s a perennial herb growing to about three to five feet tall and has gray-green leaves with needle-like petals that grow in a cluster from two to five inches. The plant blooms in spring with bright yellow flowers. The scare tends to grow at the base of trees in dry soils and is often damaged by herbicides. In central Asia, the plant is sometimes called poled.
Growing clary sage may require lots of watering because it is a drought tolerant plant. Leaves of this culinary herb may yellow to brown when it gets too much water. In southern parts of Spain, this plant is used as a mosquito repellent. Other common uses of the herb include:
Although the medicinal value of this pungent herb is unknown, it has been used as an antidote for poisonings. Legend has it that the young women of the nobility would chew on the leaves to ward off evil spirits, and some even drank its juice. In fact, it is one of the few herbs that are still widely used in herbal medicine in western countries today.