Salvia sclarea (Clary Sage) is a traditional herb plant that is native to Central Asia, Northern Africa and much of the Mediterranean Basin. Clary Sage is a widely used medicinal herb and essential oil and is a useful companion plant in the garden. It also produces flowers with a wide range of beautiful colours.
Suitable for Temperate, Dry and Sub-Tropical climates.
Clary Sage is a cold hardy short-lived herb plant that will often complete its full lifecycle within 2-3 years. The leaves are widely used in its native regions as a vegetable as well as a herbal tea and a pain reliever during menstrual cycles.
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Growth
Salvia sclarea is a biennial or perennial herb that grows to a height of 1.2 metres (4 feet) by a width of 50cm (20 inches). Clary Sage enjoys full sun, good drainage and is frost tolerant.
Flowers bloom in a range of colours that can include lilac, pale blue, white or pink and like all the Sages, are very attractive to pollinators. The medicinal leaves can be ready to harvest in around 100 days.
Note: Germination instructions can be found in the ‘Germination Instructions Tab’ below. Upon purchase you will receive these detailed instructions via email so that you have a permanent record.
FAMILY:
Lamiaceae
CLIMATE:
Temperate to Tropical
TEMPERATURE RANGE:
-10-30°C / 50-86°F
SOIL TYPE:
Well-draining.
LOCATION:
Full Sun.
HEIGHT:
Up to 1.2m (4 feet)
WIDTH:
Up to 50 cm (20 inches)
pH:
6.0-6.5
GROWTH TYPE:
Biennial or Perennial.
WATER REQUIREMENTS:
Light
POLLINATION:
Bees.
MATURITY:
90-100 days
GERMINATION RATES:
75-80%
GERMINATION TIME:
14-21 days at temperatures between 18-25°C / 65-77°F
GERMINATION DIFFICULTY:
Easy
SEEDS PER GRAM:
Approximately 200
MEDICINAL QUALITIES:
Yes
WEED POTENTIAL:
Yes.
EDIBLE:
Yes.
SEED STORAGE & VIABILITY:
Cold Storage at 4°C (Fridge) up to 3 years.
FACTS ABOUT SALVIA SCLAREA (Clary Sage)
Salvia sclarea was described for medicinal purposes in the writings of Theophrastus in the 4th century BCE and Pliny the Elders in the 1st century.
In Nicholas Culpeper’s Complete Herbal, written in 1653, one suggestion was to place a Clary Sage seed in the eye of someone with a a foreign object stuck in it. Due to the seeds mucilaginous, sticky coating, it could the remove object easily which gave the plant an early name of Clear Eye.
Clary Sage has been used as ingredient in beer and wine with Elderflower as far back as the 16th century in Germany.
Nowadays, the essential oil is used in perfumes, aromatherapy and continues to be a source of flavouring for numerous alcoholic beverages.
For more information regarding the medicinal benefits of Clary Sage click here.
