Sage 'Berggarten' – Large Leaved Culinary Sage (Set of 3 or 6)

Sage 'Berggarten' is the cook's sage, grown for unusually large, rounded, silver-green leaves packed with aromatic oil.

It was bred in Germany and differs from ordinary garden sage in one useful way: it rarely runs to flower, so instead of bolting in midsummer it keeps putting its energy into leaf. That means a longer picking season and better flavour from a smaller plant. The habit is neat, compact and mound-forming, which suits a small herb bed, a raised bed or a pot on the patio as well as it suits a border.

Give it a warm, sunny, sheltered spot with free-draining soil. Once settled it takes dry conditions in its stride, and it sits well beside rosemary, thyme and oregano. Trim lightly in spring to keep it bushy, but do not cut back into old bare wood because sage is slow to break from it. Plants go woody and sparse after three or four years and are best replaced then. Each plant is supplied as an established 1 litre root ball.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Sage, garden sage
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: 40cm to 60cm tall by 40cm to 60cm wide
• Growth Habit: Compact, bushy, mound-forming evergreen sub-shrub
• Perfect For: Herb gardens, kitchen gardens, sunny border fronts, patio pots, Mediterranean planting
• Foliage: Large, rounded, silver-green, softly textured, aromatic and evergreen
• Flowering Time: Late spring into early summer, and sparingly, since this variety rarely bolts
• Planting Position: Full sun. Takes dry soil once established and grows well in containers
• Soil Type: Light, sandy or loamy, free-draining
• Hardiness: Hardy in most of Britain, but short lived and easily lost to cold wet soil, so drainage matters
• Maintenance: Low. Light trim in spring, and replace the plants every three or four years
• Seasonal Interest: Spring and summer
• Type: Evergreen perennial herb, grow your own