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Clary Sage

Herbaceous Perennial or Biennial Flower, Herb

Also known as European Sage, Eyebright, Clear Eye
Salvia sclarea
Lamiaceae Family
Synonym: t

Hardy to Zone 5, this biennial or short-lived perennial is a striking, fast-growing, and fragrant addition borders. It grows up to 4 feet tall, but is not very useful as a culinary or medicinal herb.

	Site and Plant Characteristics
	Growing Information
	Varieties

Site Characteristics

Sunlight:

full sun

Soil conditions:

requires well-drained soil

Wet sites can cause rot. Easily killed by excessively wet winters.

Plant Traits

Lifecycle: biennial, perennial

Produces a basal rosette of leaves the first year and flower the second year. In some areas plants will winter over and flower another year.

Ease-of-care: easy

Height: 2.5 to 3.5 feet

Spread: 1.5 to 2.5 feet

Bloom time:

late spring
early summer
mid-summer

Flower color:

violet
white

The pink to purple floral bracts remain showy after the white to mauve corollas fade.

Foliage color: medium green

Mostly green but varies toward gray.

Foliage texture: coarse

Shape:

spreading mass
upright
loose and formless

Shape in flower: flower stalks with upright spikes

Large whorls of 4 to 6 flowers in upright panicles above the foliage.

Special Considerations

Special characteristics:

deer resistant
non-aggressive - Plants may self-sow.
non-invasive
not native to North America - Southern Europe

Growing Information

How to plant:

Propagate by seed - Plants are biennial, so sow seed in successive years to have plants flowering every year. Plants readily self-seed, or you can sow seed in spring or fall. Fall-planted seed overwinters and emerges in spring.

Seed can be saved 3 years.

Maintenance and care:

Plants grown from seed can reach their mature height of 3 to 4 feet the first season.
More growing information: How to Grow Perennials

Varieties

var. turkestanica grows to 3 feet and has long flower bracts.
'Vatican' differs little from the straight species and purchased seed, is more than likely straight Salvia sclarea. (The same is often tru for var. turkestanica.)