Purple sage

Sun

Full sun; tolerates light afternoon shade in very hot climates, but foliage colour and growth are best with plenty of sun.

Water

Water regularly while establishing, then allow the soil to dry between thorough waterings. Established plants tolerate drought; containers need more frequent checks.

Soil

Well-drained, light or gritty soil, preferably neutral to alkaline. Avoid waterlogged ground and heavily enriched soil.

Height

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Spread

1.5-3 ft (0.45-0.9 m)

Flowers

Blue-violet flowers in late spring to summer, although this cultivar often flowers sparsely.

Foliage

Evergreen. Aromatic, softly hairy, oblong leaves with a wrinkled surface. Young leaves are purple, becoming grey-green with age.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen
• Fragrant
• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.5 ft (0.45 m)

   full size

About 5 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Moderate

• Plant with the crown at soil level in a sunny position with excellent drainage.
• Water new plants through their first growing season, letting the surface soil dry between waterings.
• Avoid routine feeding in garden soil; feed container plants lightly in spring if growth is weak.
• Use a thin gravel mulch rather than moisture-holding mulch around the woody base.
• Grow in a raised bed or a free-draining container if your soil stays wet in winter.
• Take replacement cuttings before an ageing plant becomes sparse and woody.

Pruning. In spring, once new growth is visible and severe frosts have passed, shorten leafy shoots by up to one-third and remove dead stems. Lightly trim after flowering if needed, but avoid cutting into bare old wood or pruning hard in autumn.

Pick healthy, fully expanded leaves once the plant is established and making strong growth; young leaves usually have the best flavour. Harvest lightly throughout the growing season, preferably before flowering, and leave plenty of leafy growth rather than stripping whole stems.

Spring

Check for winter damage and prune back to healthy, leafy growth once severe frosts have passed.

Late spring

Plant into warming, well-drained soil and water until established.

Summer

Harvest leaves regularly but lightly; remove spent flower stems if you want a tidier plant.

Summer

Take non-flowering shoot cuttings to preserve the purple-leaved cultivar.

Autumn

Reduce harvesting and avoid hard pruning so new growth can mature before winter.

Winter

Keep drainage holes clear and protect containers from prolonged saturation.

• Edge a sunny herb bed with purple foliage that contrasts with green parsley and silver thyme.
• Repeat small groups through a gravel border with lavender and santolina for contrasting leaf shapes.
• Use in a free-draining container near the kitchen for convenient picking.
• Plant along a sunny path where brushing the leaves releases their scent.
• Include in a low herb parterre, using light trimming to maintain a compact outline.

Garden styles it suits: Mediterranean, Dry gravel garden, Cottage garden, Potager (kitchen garden), Herb parterre and Sensory garden.

Plant it with: Lavender, Thyme, Rosemary, Santolina, Oregano and Yarrow.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar for bees and other pollinating insects, though this cultivar may produce relatively few blooms.

• Root and crown rot: yellowing, wilting or collapse in wet soil calls for better drainage; replace badly affected plants in a drier position.
• Powdery mildew: improve airflow, avoid crowding and remove badly affected leaves.
• Sage leafhopper: pale stippling can develop on leaves; tolerate light damage, remove heavily affected shoots and encourage natural predators.
• Woody, open growth: prune lightly each spring and replace tired plants with rooted cuttings rather than cutting hard into bare stems.

Ordinary culinary sage foliage is not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses in normal garden exposure or small food amounts. Large amounts may cause digestive upset. Concentrated sage essential oil contains thujone and can cause serious poisoning if swallowed; it is not equivalent to using a few leaves in cooking.

• Common garden sage (Salvia officinalis)

  The ordinary green form has grey-green new leaves rather than the distinctly purple young growth of 'Purpurascens'; both have wrinkled, aromatic leaves.

• Tricolour sage (Salvia officinalis 'Tricolor')

  Leaves have cream margins and pink-purple flushing, rather than the unvariegated purple-to-grey-green foliage of 'Purpurascens'.

• Texas sage (Leucophyllum frutescens)

  Also sometimes called purple sage, this is a larger shrub with small silvery leaves and pink-purple, bell-shaped flowers. It is not culinary sage.

Salvia comes from the Latin salvare, meaning to heal or save, officinalis refers to traditional medicinal use, and 'Purpurascens' means becoming purple.

Propagation. Take softwood cuttings in late spring or semi-ripe cuttings in summer from healthy, non-flowering shoots. Root in a gritty propagation mix with bright light but no strong direct sun. Seed does not reliably reproduce this cultivar's purple foliage.

Accepted botanical name

Salvia officinalis

In the US and Canada

Introduced in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Albania, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Yugoslavia.

Measured

Soil pH 7.5 to 8. Average height 51 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.