General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb
Life cycle: Biennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Water Preferences: Mesic
Dry Mesic
Dry
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 4a -34.4 °C (-30 °F) to -31.7 °C (-25 °F)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 9b
Plant Height: 36 inches
Plant Spread: 15 inches
Leaves: Unusual foliage color
Fragrant
Other: Gray-green
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Pink
Purple
White
Flower Time: Late spring or early summer
Summer
Uses: Culinary Herb
Medicinal Herb
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Pollinators: Bees

Image
Common names
  • Clary Sage
  • Clary
  • Salvia
  • Clear-Eye
  • Muscatel Sage
Botanical names
  • Accepted: Salvia sclarea
  • Synonym: Salvia sclarea var. turkestanica
  • Synonym: Salvia sclarea var. turkestaniana

Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea) was a featured
Plant of the Day for January 9, 2019.
Photo Gallery
Location: New Zealand
Date: 2008-12-18
Location: my garden, Gent, Belgium
Date: 2007-07-01
Location: Castlegar
Date: May 10 2018
Flower detail
Location: Hortus Lapidarius
Location: Newby Hall garden, Ripon, Yorkshire UK
Date: 2022-05-15
Location:
Location: Hortus Lapidarius
Location: Botanical Garden Berlin
Date: 2017-11-05
Location: Newby Hall garden, Ripon, Yorkshire UK
Date: 2022-05-15
Location: Missouri Botanical Garden in St Louis
Date: 2024-09-07
Location: Botanical Garden Berlin
Date: 2017-11-05
Location: Hamilton Square Perennial Garden, Historic City Cemetery, Sacramento CA.
Date: 2014-08-01
Basal rosette of five month old volunteer. There are a few seedli
Location: RHS Harlow Carr, Yorkshire, UK
Date: 2021-08-14
Location: Botanical garden of Crete
Date: 2022-06-01
Location: Castlegar
Date: July 19 2018
Var. Turkestanica:  there seems to be various Turkish sages,  thi
Location: Newby Hall, Yorkshire UK
Date: 2018-06-15
Location: Floors castle garden, Scotland
Date: 2011-07-21
Location: My garden in Albuquerque, NM Zone 7b
Date: 06.08.22
Catching the morning sun
Location: Havoc Hall garden, Yorkshire, UK
Date: 2022-06-26
The blooms emerge from the colourful bracts
Location: New Zealand
Date: 2008-12-10
Location: Botanical Garden Berlin
Date: 2017-11-05
Location: NJ
Date: 2012-07-02
seed grown last year
Location: Botanical garden of Crete
Date: 2022-06-01
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Date: 2022-07-05
Salvia sclarea var. turkestanica
Location: My garden in Albuquerque, NM Zone 7b
Date: 06.12022
These emerged mostly white with very pale purple
Location: NJ
Date: 2012-07-09
It looks different every day.. just love it
Location: syn. Salvia sclarea var. turkestanica
Photo courtesy of: Tom Potterfield
Location: Floors castle, Scotland
Date: 2011-07-21
Location: Floors castle, Scotland
Date: 2011-07-21
Location: my garden, Gent, Belgium
Date: 2007-07-03
Location: New Zealand
Date: 2012-12-09
Location: Northeastern, Texas
Date: 2016-03-02

Permission granted to use under GFDL by Kurt Stueber
Location: Hamilton Square Perennial Garden, Historic City Cemetery, Sacramento CA.
Date: 2015-05-15
Zone 9b.
Location: Floors castle garden, Scotland
Date: 2011-07-21
Location: Hamilton Square Perennial Garden, Historic City Cemetery, Sacramento CA.
Date: 2014-05-20
Location: Hamilton Square Perennial Garden, Historic City Cemetery, Sacramento CA.
Date: 2014-05-20

photo credit: Raul654

Photo courtesy of: Tom Potterfield
Location: Austin ,TX
Date: February
Location: Potohar, Pakistan
Date: 2013-03-31
Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: 2011-08-13
First year growth. Hardy biennial plant.

Date: 2014-07-01

Photo courtesy of Annie's Annuals and Perennials
Location: Home garden
Date: 2012-06-11

 Photo Courtesy of Select Seeds. Used with permission.
  • Uploaded by Joy

Courtesy Robin's Salvias
  • Uploaded by vic
Location: Potohar, Pakistan
Date: 2013-03-31
Location: Vaughan, ON, Canada (Zone 5b)
Date: 2009-07-13
Location: NJ
Date: 2012-07-09

Photo courtesy of: Tom Potterfield
Location: Salvia sclarea - S. Agata fossili, Alessandria, Italy
Date: 2008-06-21
Photo courtesy of:Hectonichus
Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: 2011-05-10
Location: Potohar, Pakistan
Date: 2013-03-31

Photo courtesy of Annie's Annuals and Perennials
Location: Potohar, Pakistan
Date: 2013-03-31
This plant is tagged in:
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Comments:
  • Posted by CarolineScott (Calgary - Zone 4a) on Oct 21, 2012 8:38 AM concerning plant:
    Clary Sage has colored bracts.
    The color is not actually flowers.
  • Posted by Marilyn (Kentucky - Zone 6a) on May 25, 2013 2:11 PM concerning plant:
    "Salvia sclarea reaches 3 to 4 feet in height, with thick square stems that are covered in hairs. The leaves are approximately 1 foot long at the base, .5 foot long higher on the plant. The upper leaf surface is rugose, and covered with glandular hairs. The flowers are in verticils, with 2-6 flowers in each verticil, and are held in large colorful bracts that range in color from pale mauve to lilac or white to pink with a pink mark on the edge. The lilac or pale blue corolla is approximately 1 inch, with the lips held wide open. The cultivar S. sclarea 'Turkestanica' bears pink stems, petiolate leaves, and white, pink-flecked blossoms on spikes to 30 inches tall.

    Clary seeds have a mucilaginous coat, which is why some old herbals recommended placing a seed into the eye of someone with a foreign object in it so that it could adhere to the object and make it easy to remove. This practice is noted by Nicholas Culpeper in his Complete Herbal (1653), who referred to the plant as "clear-eye".

    The distilled essential oil is used widely in perfumes and as a muscatel flavoring for vermouths, wines, and liqueurs. It is also used in aromatherapy for relieving anxiety and fear, menstrual-related problems such as PMS and cramping, and helping with insomnia."

    Taken from wikipedia's page at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S...
  • Posted by Bonehead (Planet Earth - Zone 8b) on Apr 11, 2014 2:15 PM concerning plant:
    This is an invasive plant in Washington. It spreads by seed, so it would be a good idea to deadhead before the seeds form if it is a problem in your locale. I would like to have one in my herb garden for medicinal purposes, and thus far my county has not had a serious infestation so I believe I can manage this cautiously.
Plant Events from our members
lovesblooms On March 1, 2020 Seeds sown
winter sow
lovesblooms On June 8, 2015 Bloomed
1st blooms from 2014 winter sown plants
MrsBinWY On April 26, 2019 Potted up
11
MrsBinWY On February 16, 2019 Seeds sown
germination test for Seed Library back stock: 16 seeds (2017G) in milk jug @ warm room temp
AndreA33 On April 10, 2015 Obtained plant
» Post your own event for this plant

Discussion Threads about this plant
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
how is it doing? by Onewish1 Oct 21, 2012 5:30 PM 30

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