Sage oak is a plant that can be used not only for the decor of landscape design, but also as an interesting spice for various dishes and even in cosmetology. Species Salvia nemorosa blooms several times throughout the summer season, so the garden will always look interesting and bright.
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Description and best grades
Most often, sage blooms with purple inflorescences, but pink, red or even blue flowers can be found. The plant is perennial, which implies the appearance of small buds on the stem annually for several years.
The best varieties for the garden:
- Schwellenburg. The plant reaches a height of more than half a meter, an inflorescence of saturated red color. It blooms the first two months of summer.
- Ostfriesland. The length of sage of this variety is about 40 cm, the inflorescences are large purple.
- Mainacht. Grows to 80 cm tall. It blooms several times during the summer, the color is purple. The variety is winter hardy.
In cooking, the flower is used in powdered or dried form. This spice has a bright aroma and a slightly bitter taste, which makes the dish spicy.
Outdoor landing
Plants are planted using seeds. Initially, they need to be prepared and slightly germinated. It is better to do this at the end of spring or in the first month of summer.
How to prepare the seeds:
- Soak them in water for several hours with the addition of a few drops of a growth stimulant.
- Place the soaked seeds on a cloth for drying. Doing it better on the windowsill.
- Arrange future plants in a pre-prepared soil 1-2 cm deep. It must have fertile land and peat.At the bottom of the container must be put drainage of small stones.
Planting sage oak in the open ground occurs after the first sprouts have hatched and slightly strengthened. Permanent soil should be medium acid, loamy. The place should be chosen well lit by sunlight, but without strong drafts.
For planting, you need to prepare holes with a diameter of not more than 4 cm. Lightly pour them with water, then plant sage and sprinkle with soil. In the end, water the plants again.
How to care for sage oak
Growing sage implies caring for the plant for the entire period of its growth until wintering. This is not difficult to do, so any beginner gardener can look after the culture.
The basic rules for growing a healthy and strong plant:
- Sage is a moisture-loving flower, but does not tolerate overflow of soil. The ground should be slightly moist. Irregular watering on sunny days leads to the drying of inflorescences, and excess water can contribute to the appearance of fungus. Watering sage is recommended in the evening or early in the morning when the sun is not active.
- For the entire period of sage growth, it will be necessary to periodically loosen and weed the earth around the plant. This should be done regularly, since the presence of a large number of weeds can quickly destroy this crop.
- It is also important to feed the plants. In spring, it is better to add mineral fertilizers with nitrogen to the soil, and at the end of summer - phosphorus-potash.
- It is recommended to trim the sage to form a neat and beautiful bush. To do this, cut off the young shoots. Manipulations are not carried out for the flowering period. However, at this stage you can collect inflorescences for further use for cosmetic or culinary purposes.
Plant propagation methods
Most often, sage seeds are used to obtain a new bush. This method is the simplest and helps to grow the required number of flowers. But if there are no seeds at hand, you can use other methods.
How else do oak sage propagate:
- By dividing the bush. At the end of summer, the plant is dug up, and the root system is divided into 2-3 parts. After that, the bushes are planted.
- Vegetative way. Lightly lignified shoots are cut into 15 cm and placed in water, which periodically needs to be changed. The roots should appear in 1.5-2 weeks. After this, sage should be planted in open ground. The procedure can be performed at any time.
After propagation and planting, sage must also be looked after as an adult bush - regularly water, fertilize the soil, prune and process from pests.
Protection against diseases and pests
The leaves and flowers of sage in themselves are a natural insecticide, since the plant is considered a spicy medicinal. It is because of this that culture is almost never affected by pests.
The most common infection is mold due to excessive soil moisture. If you do not care for the bushes, then spider mites, thrips and slugs can also appear on the flowers.
To protect plantings from uninvited guests, it is necessary to regulate watering, periodically weed the soil and inspect the bushes. When pests appear, plants can be treated with a ready-made insecticide. If in the future it is planned to collect inflorescences, it is better to use folk remedies for this.
Recipe:
Brew 100 g of dry onion husks in 5 liters of boiling water. Dissolve 10 g of laundry soap in infusion. Spray with cooled liquid all nearby bushes from the diseased plant.
Use in landscape design
Thanks to the beautiful and lush flowering of sage, it can be used in almost any landscape design. Violet color organically looks next to pink, red, white or yellow shades.
Close to the oak sage you can plant irises, lilies, a rose, poppy, yarrow. Other bright color cultures will also look organically.
Also, the bushes are perfect as a living and dense hedge, since the plant does not tend to lose the lower leaves and flowers. Due to its decorative and healing properties, as well as simple care, this plant is one of the most popular in every garden.
