Can you cut off the flowers of sage?

Many garden herbs become inedible when they bloom. Other specimens benefit from a bloom. But how is it with sage? Read here whether you should cut off the flowers on the sage or not.

Cut with blossom

In principle, sage flowers can be cut off during the flowering period, but they do not have to be. Cutting has several advantages:

• Flowers edible and therefore usable for food
• stimulates growth
• the earlier cut, the better and stronger the leaf growth
• Prevention of uncontrolled sowing
• Leaf aroma develops more intensely

Tip: In order to avoid cutting out the sage flowers as much as possible, we recommend buying the “Dalmatian sage” variety (Salvia officinalis subsp. major). It is a subspecies of the real sage (Salvia officinalis), which blooms little or rarely, but has a much stronger leaf growth.

Let the blossom stand

The violet scented flowers fill every garden and balcony with color. This is the main reason why many hobby gardeners choose to leave it standing. This is entirely possible, because unlike numerous other herbs, the sage flowers do not give the leaves a bitter or inedible taste. These can still be used as culinary herbs. Only the aroma is reduced.

There are other advantages and disadvantages if the sage flowers are not cut off:

• Food source for numerous insects such as bees
• Self-sowing for wild growth ideal for Natural gardens
• no second bloom in autumn
• restricted leaf growth
• less immune system and consequently increased susceptibility to life-threatening damage from diseases and plant pests (due to higher nutrient consumption)

Cut withered flowers

Those who decide to let the sage flowers stand just postpone the pruning date. Cutting off wilted specimens is a must. Even in this state, the plant supplies the withered parts of the plant with nutrients. This means that there is less available for the leaves to develop and grow. The wilt often pulls and weakens the salvia severely. The following should be taken into account when cutting off already withered flowers on sage:

• Cutting off promotes the growth of the second flower around September
• then blooms well into autumn
• Always cut off withered things between mid-July and around the beginning of August
• The result is an improved supply of nutrients to the leaves and a better aroma

Tip: Ideally, withered flower stalks should be cut off before they are completely wilted. During flowering, the plant draws and stores significantly more nutrients, which can then be supplied to the leaves by pruning them early.

Cut flowers correctly

The right pruning technique depends on when and what the flower pruning should be used for:

for consumption	Just pluck out flowers
to remove withered flowers	Pinch off the flower heads
to promote growth and aroma	Separate the flower stalks a hand width across the ground
to stimulate the second flowering period	Separate the flower stalks a hand width across the ground
to prevent blooming	Cut off the flower stalks in half

frequently asked Questions