Clary Sage

 An oddly  fragrant perennial.
Clary Sage and Flax

The Stumpy Garden, being open and sunny, houses some of my favourite large perennials. Each year in mid-summer the big Clary Sages grow tall and form flowers, surrounded by roses and foliage plants.

Feline Fragrance

Perennial Clary Sages are rather smelly - their fragrance has been compared to cat urine. Brushing against them can cause rude comments from friends and family about one's personal hygiene.

Hopefully that doesn't deter any gardener from growing them - I mean, if we all listened to our friends and family we'd hardly have a plant left in our garden which wasn't blacklisted, too weedy, too invasive, too common, and so on...

Good Timing

These smelly sages flower at the perfect time of year for me, when other large colourful perennials (like Foxgloves) have finished. Many of the roses are resting, though some seem to enjoy propping themselves up against the sage - surely the 'Beauty and the Beast' of garden fragrances!

 Clary sage is a great short-lived perennial for textural interest.
Pastel Pink David Austin and Clary Sage

I grow two varieties of Clary Sage, and collect the seeds of each. The white variety is more stylish than the pink, but still has that lingering scent, I'm afraid!

 A beautiful pair of flowery friends.
Red Rose with Clary Sage

Such a perfect perennial to fill in space - but wash your hands after touching! And I promise - these photographs of the Clary Sage with companion roses were not posed!