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Painted sage, also known as Salvia viridis, Clary Sage, or Horminum Sage is technically not an edible flower, but the vibrantly colored leaves that at first glance look like flowers are actually the edible part of the plant.
In the below picture you can hardly see the small flowers lower on the stems, but the colorful top leaves really stand out in their shades of purple, red, pink, and mauve.
I planted these last year, they reseeded, and came back even stronger this year, with no work needed on my part.
In my yard, the plants are roughly up to two feet tall and started putting on their visual display in May.
I’ve read that they are great dried and due to the nice aroma can be used as “everlasting flowers.”
Both the seeds and leaves are edible. The leaves can be cooked or used raw in soups, salads, and cooked greens. The seeds are used as flavoring in things like liquors, which are supposed to greatly increase the potency of the brew.
The taste of the leaves is floral, so something that wouldn't be bad in a salad.
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Jun 25, 2007 | 11:08 AM PST
Those are very pretty divaqs. I have one salvia plant but I don't know what kind it is or if it is edible. |
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Jun 25, 2007 | 3:43 PM PST
LOVE that purple! |
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Jun 25, 2007 | 6:03 PM PST
After visiting your garden, I realize there is much for me to learn....what a lovely site and you are such a knowledgeable man....how come there are no pics of yourself? |
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Jun 25, 2007 | 10:21 PM PST
Hi Sonia, Thank you for the really kind words. I really do appreciate them and am grateful for you taking the time to check out my blog. I haven't put any pictures of myself, other than me as a boy, since I am worried it could be taken as a sort of invitation for some sort of personal emotional/romantic relationship, which I am not seeking for. Last edited by divaqs on June 25th at 10:22 PM. |
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Jun 26, 2007 | 7:56 AM PST
So noted..... romantic relationship was NOT what I had in mind....just wanted to "see" who I was "commenting" to....putting a "Face to the Flowers" so to speak....my daughter is in the RCMP, and for her to get there, background checks were done on all of us.....sorry about being so forward....just my personality! |
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Jun 26, 2007 | 8:15 AM PST
AngelsGarden, I was doing some reading on salvia the other day (sage family) and read that most varieties taste bad. It sounded like they were not toxic, just yucky, with the exception of the few that we use as herbs or the one I listed in this blog entry. Sonia, I didn't think you were being forward. Subtle, but not forward. You asked a valid question and I don't see any reason for you to apologize or feel bad about it. I appreciated the opportunity to give an honest answer on why I had made the decision I did. Last edited by divaqs on June 26th at 11:45 AM. |
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Jun 26, 2007 | 12:18 PM PST
divaqs, I was reading on the web about edible flowers. I saw salvia listed as edible, mostly leaves and flowers used for tea. Also listed was Hibiscus with the same use. The Hibiscus that I have is a 'Southern Belle'. Is there a website that you go to when you need to know if a plant is edible, and if so what parts and which plant varieties. Have you ever made tea with any of your plants. If so what parts of the plant did you use. I also purposely avoid putting up pictures of myself and my family. The idea of doing that doesn't make me feel safe. Though it is nice to see other peoples photos, I can't bring myself to do so. Last edited by AngelsGarden on June 26th at 12:19 PM. |
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Jun 26, 2007 | 1:21 PM PST
AngelsGarden, great questions! I pull my info about edibility from multiple sources, both online and offline, since I haven't found anywhere that covers everything. For edible flowers, I tend to order them from Johnny's Seeds, since they specifically list in their catalog if they are edible or not. I've made my own teas from leaves, berries, and/or blossoms. Some things I have made tea from in the last year include rose blossoms, wintergreen leaves, mint leaves, and chamomile fronds. I am starting to experiment more with flowers now that I have a good amount of edible flowers in my yard and am hoping to report what I find here. |
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Jul 3, 2007 | 11:27 AM PST
I visited Monicello last June and found long drifts of this beautiful plant growing. I bought the seed in their garden store and started them in my greenhouse in March.They grew so quickly! I love the way they look when upright but mine have flopped down now. Also I prefer all one color so I'll save seeds of blue and try again next year, tying them up.If I cut these back will they rebloom this summer? |
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Jul 3, 2007 | 11:34 AM PST
Welcome delphinium! The pretty part of the plants isn't actually blooms or flowers, but rather colored leaves, so I'd bet that they would grow back if they have sufficient water and nutrients, though I can't say for sure without having tried it in the past. Please come back let us know for sure. |
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