Healing, fragrant, magical – the diverse world of salvias
Some plants are more than just beautiful or useful – they tell stories, whisper memories, and breathe a fragrance of old times, opening our hearts. Salvias are this kind of plant.
They grow in the dry uplands of the Mediterranean, in Mexican gardens, on European meadows – and in the quiet corners of our soul.
With more than 1,000 different species, salvia is one of the world’s most diverse plant groups. Yet it’s not just this botanical abundance that makes it so fascinating – it’s the combination of healing, beauty, fragrance and spirituality that makes this plant so special.
In this article we invite you on a quick tour through a world of salvia species that are open-pollinated, great for gardens and revered for rituals. And maybe you’ll find your own very personal favourite salvia along the way!
Salvia – more than just a plant genus
The name salvia is derived from the Latin salvare – “to heal”. And yet salvia – sage, in its common form – is more than just a way to soothe a sore throat or a herb used in cooking. It is a fragrance-bringer, shade-caster, bee-friend, a crosser of the borders between worlds – it connects the everyday with the spiritual.
Its flowers – filigree, lipped in shape, at times almost luminous – attract not just insects but the eyes, the mind, inspiration. In gardens, on altars, in the kitchen and in old stories, sage lives on – now more than ever.
Open-pollinated salvia species – many and diverse
Salvia officinalis – the wise one
The classic kitchen sage. Silvery leaves, a tangy, aromatic fragrance – spicy, clarifying, cleansing.
You’ll find its leaves both in home pharmacies and in witches’ kitchens.
- Varieties: 'Purpurascens', 'Icterina', 'Tricolor'
- Use: tea, protective plant, cleansing incense
Salvia lavandulifolia – the subtle one
Spanish sage, with narrow, lavender-like leaves. Less intensely aromatic, but subtle and elegant.
- Use: gentle tea, fragrant gardens, meditation aid
Salvia sclarea – the visionary
Clary sage is a plant for the senses. Its fragrance is sweet, heavy, almost intoxicating. Its presence is magical.
- Use: aromatherapy, incense, mood-balancing
Salvia apiana – the sacred one
White sage (or bee sage, or sacred sage) – a plant from the spiritual world.
For the indigenous cultures of North America it is more than a herb – it is prayer, incense, cleansing.
- Use: rituals, protection, space clearing
- Cultivation: challenging but possible – especially in pots
Salvia viridis – the dancer
Painted sage, with brightly-coloured bracts that unfold like small fans – it’s summer on a stem.
- Use: ornamental, incense, seeds for wildflower meadows
Salvia argentea – the lunar one
Silvery as the morning dew. A plant that makes you want to stroke it.
- Use: structural plant, symbolic plant for rest and cleansing
Salvia pratensis & S. nemorosa –the hardy ones
Spikes of purple-blue flowers for borders and wild areas. Reliable and long-lived, insect-friendly.
- Varieties: 'Caradonna', 'Ostfriesland' – robust, open-pollinated, full of life
Salvia hispanica – the nourisher
Its seeds are known to us as Chia – nutritious, bursting with energy, full of vitality.
- Use: nutrition, vitality, green energy
Salvia splendens – the brilliant one
Red fire in beds and borders. Vitality, colour, summer splendour.
- Open-pollinated varieties: for a gloriously festive display
Growing and understanding salvias
Salvias love sunshine, free-draining soil and warm wind. They want to be understood, not watered.
They need space to grow – not just physical space but space in your mind: when you sow salvias you’re sowing history, fragrance, flourishing.
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Location: sunny, dry, free-draining
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Care: cutting them back encourages growth, they don’t need much feeding – but they do need patience
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Sowing: many varieties can be sown direct, others prefer being started indoors
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Open-pollinated: a treasure for gardeners to plant, harvest and preserve
Magic and myth: salvia as a plant for the soul
Salvia is more than a botanical genus – it is a plant for the soul.
In many cultures it symbolises protection, wisdom and crossing between worlds.
Its smoke clears spaces – its tea clears the mind. Its flowers open up what was previously closed.
Sage has been used for rituals and meditations, and as incense, through the centuries. Using sage as incense doesn’t just cleanse spaces – it invites you to encounter your true self.
To sum up: salvia is a plant full of stories
There’s room for salvia in every garden. Perhaps for salvia that heals. Or for salvia that illuminates. And perhaps for the salvia that inspires dreams.
Open-pollinated salvia varieties are more than robust garden plants – they are carriers of memory, fragrant messengers, life companions.
Whether you’re gardening, collecting, burning incense or simply admiring – salvia will answer you. With colour, with fragrance, with a wisdom that reveals itself in peace and quietness.
