Culinary sage

Questions about culinary sage

Does culinary sage need sun or shade?

Culinary sage grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).

It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.

What zones does culinary sage grow in?

USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).

Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does culinary sage flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers early June to early July. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.

Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.

How far apart should culinary sage be planted?

24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 2½ ft (75 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many culinary sage plants do I need?

At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 10 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own

In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.

In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.

Is culinary sage poisonous to dogs and cats?

No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension and the ASPCA.

"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.

Is there a native plant like culinary sage?

Culinary sage comes from Northern Mediterranean. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:

• Lanceleaf coreopsis: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 4 in shorter, 8 in narrower.
• Autumn sage: the same job in a bed; 6 in taller, flowers mid May to mid October.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat culinary sage?

Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.

What flowers after culinary sage?

Culinary sage is over by early July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Oregano: from early July to late August, 20 in tall (a recorded partner).
• Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
• Butterfly weed: from late June to early August, 24 in tall.

What does culinary sage look like in winter?

Culinary sage keeps its grey-green, purple and variegated leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.

Is culinary sage good for bees and butterflies?

Culinary sage is visited by bees and butterflies.