Sage Vatican white is also known as clary sage or Turkestan sage. This biennial plant in the lipflower family (lamiaceae) is related to mountain savory, lemon balm, true marjoram , annual savory, french lavender, creeping thyme, lavender, peppermint, sage, rosemary, thyme, water mint and woolly mint, among others. This herbaceous plant is native to southern Europe and southwest Asia. This biennial hardy plant with attractive white flowers is kept as a garden plant in the Netherlands and Belgium. In the 1st year, a leaf rosette with broad ovoid grey-green hairy leaves develops and in the 2nd year a flower stalk full of small white flowers appears from this. These flowers are very much visited by bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects.
Both the flowers and the leaves are edible. Similar to common sage. The leaves and flowers can be made into tea, for instance. The flowers can also be used as edible decoration in various dishes. The medicinal properties of sage Vatican white are similar to those of common sage. Good for digestion and calming and like sage, tea made from sage Vatican white can help women soothe menopausal complaints such as hot flushes, anxiety, anger and other menopausal complaints. This tea can also help with urinary tract complaints and a variety of women's ailments such as: PMS and menstrual problems. Limit the use of this tea to 2 cups a day. Sage Vatican white should not be used during pregnancy. A medicinal oil can also be made from this plant. This fragrant deciduous garden plant is very popular with bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects. Place this plant in a sunny, calcareous and sheltered spot with well-drained soil. As this plant spreads easily, it definitely deserves a place in the nature garden or in the feral garden. This plant flowers from June to September. Sage Vatican white loses its leaves in winter. Hardy biennial. Height: 70 - 100 cm.
indoor sowing: March - April
Outdoor sowing: May - July
Germination: 10 - 14 days
Germinationtemp.: 18 - 24°C
Sowing depth: shallow - ½ cm
Planting distance: 20 - 30 cm
Plant position: sunny
Flowering period: June - September
Sow indoors from March in trays with well-moistened sowing and cutting soil.Sow shallowly and press the seeds gently.Sage needs a cold period to germinate well.Don"t store the trays too warm and cover them with the lid to keep the moisture in.Remove the lid as soon as the seedlings emerge.Once the seedlings are big enough to handle, put them in separate pots.In early May, leave the pots outside for a few days, during the day, to let the seedlings get used to the outdoor temperature.After mid-May, once there is no more chance of night frost, the seedlings can be put in a sunny place with good water-permeable soil.
Sowing outdoors can be done from May, when there is no more chance of night frost.Sow thinly and press the seeds gently.Keep well moist and weed-free.Thin out the seedlings at 20 - 30 cm, once they are large enough to handle. Give sage a sunny spot with well-drained soil. This plant sows itself very easily, making it ideal for the feral garden. You can also sow this biennial outdoors from September onwards. This way, the plant goes through a natural cold period and will start to germinate on its own from spring onwards. If you don't want the plant to self-seed, you can prune back the flower spike after flowering.
