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Garden sage
Habit (mature) · Kurt Stüber / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Limited coverage
Garden sage
Salvia officinalis
A Mediterranean evergreen subshrub with gray-green velvety foliage + lavender summer flowers. Among the most useful kitchen herbs + a strong nectar source for honey bees, native bumblebees, and solitary bees. Perennial in zones 4a-8b; longer-lived in well-drained alkaline soils.
Review: Source-backed
Climate fit: moderate (45/100)
Edible
Pollinator
Border
Light
Full sun
Water
Low water
Mature size
18-30" tall · 24" apart
Hardy in zones
4a-8b
very cold to frosty winters
Summer heat range
Mild-Hot
mild to hot summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.
Native in Illinois
No
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Acid-soil care
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Drought-tolerant once established; over-watered plants are short-lived.
Climate notes
Cold hardiness
Now
Zone 6b
USDA
Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer
Well-suited
2050
Zone 7b
Plotwright
Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)
Well-suited
In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.
Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.
Heat tolerance
Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…
Appears in collections
+2
Collection · 6 plants
Mediterranean drought-tolerant edible
A low-water edible palette of culinary herbs + a hardy grape for hot dry sunny sites. Mediterranean-origin plants thrive on neglect; their primary failure mode is overwatering, not underwatering.
English lavender
Rosemary
Garden sage
Oregano
Common thyme
Fox grape
Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Garden sage (Salvia officinalis). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/garden-sage
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited18 source-backed.
NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
University extension service
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
Hardiness
Heat zone
Size
Spacing
Habit
Design roles
Seasonal interest
Growth stages
Lifecycle
Regional guidance
Success tips
Designer notes
Wikimedia Commons
Photo · CC BY-SA 3.0
Backs 1 field
Image
Community photos
The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.
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