Sage is a beautiful plant with a lovely aroma. I like cooking with it but I also enjoy the scent of the dried herb. It needs to be planted annually here because the winter cold kills it. I'd love to be able to see it growing in the wild.

Dear Debbie -

That's interesting because I'm in Massachusetts - I think of us as being fairly cold! I was surprised when the sage kept coming back on its own here.

That is interesting. I live in the midwest and mine comes back all the time too. *crossing fingers* it does again. Of course, last year was a milder winter for us. The year before wasn't though.

Traditionally White Sage is the main ingredient in a Smudge Stick. Personally I prefer to make my own with Red Sage that comes from a garden of a friend of mine and has a particularly strong resiny sap that gives off a strong and effective smoke when dried and tied into a long smudge stick. Particularly when working with Goddesses such as Hecate and Artemis or doing a cleansing ritual with the Nornir.
The site Lisa commented on re the smoke is quite correct, so make sure everyone is clear and all pets are out of the area before doing it. Do be careful and check what sage you are burning as some types of sage can be highly hallucinogenic!!

Lisa....I am not far from you, so winters here can be tough too. I could never get my sage to come back after winter. You must have a bit of a protected spot where you are growing it. Lucky you!

I use Oregon sage when I can get it. I have used it for clearing and cleansing. One can walk the perimeter of their property to clear a land area also. The intent of the sager coupled with the actual saging makes a real difference. Glad to see this post. dave

Gorgeous plants you have there Lisa! We had such a hot dry summer this year (very unusual for our part of the country) and my little pot of herbs were toasted - even with TLC.

I know that some mediums use Sage to clean the air before they begin a session. I think though it is the other sage that Phyllis was mentioning.

You are lucky Lisa to have such beautiful, healthy herbs this year. Send some my way! :-)

The sage is growing along the side of the porch. I'm not sure that it's protected, but it's not in the middle of an open meadow either .

The plant has survived the winter yet again - here's a photo I took today!