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shrub

Sage

Salvia officinalis

Climate-suitable non-native

Growing guidance

Horticultural figures below are practitioner estimates for planning, pending expert review. The botanical record further down is sourced and verifiable.

Current-climate suitability

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Future-climate resilience

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Sun

Full sun

Soil moisture

free-draining, average

Heat tolerance

Up to about 42°C

Cold tolerance

Down to about -15°C

Waterlogging tolerance

1/5

Drought tolerance

5/5

Mature size

0.4–0.8 m tall, 0.8 m spread

Seasonal interest

Early summer · Lilac blue

Maintenance

low

Wildlife supported

General wildlife value 4/5 (verified species relationships are shown only where structured data exists)

Known risks or warnings

Rots on wet winter clay; replace every few years.

Toxicity: none

Verified botanical record

Accepted scientific name
Salvia officinalis L.
Family
Lamiaceae (Lamiales)
Rank and status
species · accepted
GBIF record
Taxon 2927004

Recorded as introduced in: Alabama, Algeria, Austria, Azores, Açores, Baleares, Belgium, British Columbia, Brussels-Capital Region, Bulgaria, California, Canary Is. and 55 further regions

Ranges are exactly as recorded in the GBIF source checklists and may be incomplete for widely cultivated species.

Salvia officinalis, common sage or sage, is a perennial, evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae) and native to the Mediterranean region, though it has been naturalized in many places throughout the world. It has a long history of culinary use, and in modern times it has been used as an ornamental garden plant. The common name "sage" is also used for closely related species and cultivars.

Description from Wikipedia — Salvia officinalis (CC BY-SA), shortened and unedited in substance.

Native status and geographic context

  • United Kingdom: climate-suitable
  • United States: climate-suitable
  • Australia: climate-suitable

Native status is never inferred from climate similarity. Plants restricted or invasive in a jurisdiction are excluded from recommendations there.

Demonstration data. Climate, plant and retailer records shown here are realistic samples awaiting horticultural validation and live data connections.