Long before smart phones, there were sages. Rather than consult Siri on an iPhone, old timers used to climb tall mountains or hike deep into the forest to find a wise person to answer their pressing questions. Plants in the
Long before smart phones, there were sages. Rather than consult Siri on an iPhone, old timers used to climb tall mountains or hike deep into the forest to find a wise person to answer their pressing questions. Plants in the sage genus were often recommended as part of the healing advice offered by these learned individuals.
Today, we can grow many sages to add beauty to our gardens, to add spice to our recipes and to treat health and emotional issues. Healing recipes abound for nearly every sage variety. Check out a health issue on the Internet and you will find a sage among the plants recommended to offer some help.
The plant genus known as sage in English has the botanical name Salvia. It includes more than 900 species that grow in tropical and warm, temperate regions around the world. The word Salvia derives from the Latin salvere, which translates as “to save” in English and often refers to healing or promoting health. The name definitely refers to the healing properties long attributed to many Salvia species.
All sages are in the Lamiaceae, or mint, family and several hold special appeal for Hawaiian gardeners as an ornamental plant with culinary, medicinal and cultural uses.
Salvia officinalis, known as common, or garden, sage has been used since ancient times both as a culinary and a healing herb. Over the years, it has been recommended at one time or another for virtually every known ailment. The Romans likely introduced it to Europe from Egypt as a medicinal herb. One of its most renowned uses is as a tea gargled for throat ailments. Today, sage oil is used in formulas that are antibiotic, anti-fungal, astringent and antispasmodic.
The peppery flavor of garden sage has a long culinary history, as well. In British cooking, it is used to flavor fatty meats. It also is frequently called for in Middle Eastern, Balkan and Italian recipes. In the United States, it is commonly used in an herbal mix that flavors a Thanksgiving turkey. Making a tea from the leaves or rolling them to smoke offers many mild medicinal benefits, along with the distinct taste of the herb.
Garden sage has gray-green leaves and will quickly grow into a small woody shrub producing delicate light pink, white or lavender flowers. The tricolor variety has similar characteristics and is perhaps the most attractive. Its leaves are variegated green and white with a pink blush on new leaves. The purple-leafed sage is another attractive variety.
Salvia elegans, known as pineapple sage, also has many appealing qualities. Native to Central America, it grows into a small shrub producing clusters of small tubular scarlet flowers nearly year-round. The flowers are attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies.
Both the flowers and the leaves have a pineapple aroma and taste that make them great accents for salads and refreshing drinks. The leaves and flowers can be used to impart flavor to soft cheeses, jams and jellies. The colorful flowers also make a great addition to a lei.
Pineapple sage makes a tasty herbal tea. A concentrated tea made from the leaves is used extensively in Mexican traditional medicine to treat anxiety and depression. Several scientific studies have been done supporting its efficacy for these problems.
Salvia splendens, scarlet sage, also grows well here as a small shrub and has multiple uses. Native to Brazil, this plant is now cultivated worldwide in many forms. In Hawaii, it is a perennial that is nearly everblooming. The flowers appear on spikes almost year-round and several varieties produce different colors. Atropurpurea may be the most attractive with dark violet to purple flowers. As with many plants in the Salvia genus, the flowers are edible but are probably better used as a colorful addition to your garden, in a lei or grown in containers that can be moved indoors when in full bloom.
All of the species mentioned grow well in Hawaii. Garden sage is quite drought-tolerant once established and will thrive in a hot, sunny location in soil that drains well. Pineapple and scarlet sage will also do best in a warm, sunny location in soil that does not hold water. They are somewhat less drought-, wind- and salt-tolerant than the tough garden variety but offer more continuous and attractive flowers.
Sage is best started from fresh seeds, though the germination rate is low and slow. Soil layering and cuttings may also work. Both pineapple and scarlet sage can be successfully grown from cuttings. In general, sage seeds do not have a long shelf life so other propagation methods are more likely to be successful.
Most healthy sage plants will not attract pests or diseases. Problems with the plants are generally a result of overwatering, overheating or low light. Since those mentioned here will all mature into perennial woody shrubs, heading back and seasonal pruning is advised to control woody and leggy growth. Deadheading will increase flowering.
Several other sages can be grown here but may be harder to find. Salvia apiana, or white sage, can be grown in Hawaii under appropriate conditions. It prefers the hot, dry and windy coastal areas of California and Mexico. It is also known as sacred sage for its use in smudge sticks. The aromatic sticks are burned as part of blessings or other rituals in the Native American tradition.
Wendy’s wish sage, a hybrid probably from Salvia mexicana, is available locally. It produces deep burgundy flowers and is often sold as a blooming larger specimen at about 2 feet high. Salvia nemoros, May Night, with lavender flower spikes is also locally available.
Salvia divinorum, diviner’s sage, is cultivated in some locales for its reported psychedelic drug effects. The legality of its use is being reviewed in the United States. Seeds and information on this sage are available online.
Most local nurseries, including those in large department stores, carry several Salvias. You will find many of the less common varieties at Sunrise Nursery just north of Kailua-Kona, at Pomaikai Plant Co.’s booth at the Waimea Homestead Farmers Market on Saturdays and at Tropical Edibles Nursery in Captain Cook. Call first to be sure they have, or can order, the variety you are seeking.
Diana Duff is a local organic farmer, plant adviser and consultant.
