BBC Gardeners' World

Plant details

• Common Name: Purple sage
• Genus: Salvia
• Species: officinalis
• Cultivar: 'Purpurascens'
• Skill Level: beginner
• Exposure: full sun, partial shade
• Hardiness: hardy
• Soil type: dry, sandy, well-drained/light
• Height: 0.8m
• Spread: 1m

Sage was an old healing plant, sacred to the Romans, and it remains an important culinary herb with a distinctive taste. But it is also a decorative evergreen shrub that deserves a place in flower borders, especially purple sage which has reddy purple young leaves. Purple sage has been given an Award of Garden Merit (AGM), which is for plants of outstanding excellence. All kinds should be clipped annually to preserve their neat shape and encourage plenty of young foliage, which has the best flavour and colour. Older plants eventually become woody but are easily propagated from cuttings or by layering the naturally arching branches.