A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 my sage plants

we recently moved and this will be my 2nd year with my raised garden. I have a herb section and I am wondering, am I supposed to trim back my sage and chive plants--& if so when is the best time to do the trimming.

The sage should be pruned. Remove some of the most woody branches in the spring and you will see new growth.

Since I want my sage to be bushier than it currently is I'm cutting one leaf set above each joint. I have two sage bushes this is their second year from seed so they are just getting going good. I brought them in last fall and I've harvested several times over the winter.

Chives can be havested whenever the blades get to long. But leave some alone so it can bloom and set seed. That way you won't have to buy any more seeds you can just use your own. With the chives I usually harvest to within 1 to 2 inches of the ground. But that's because I chop it up and dry it. That is what doesn't immediately go on a baked potato lol.

My sage plants are new last year--but my chive plant is so old I cannot tell you when I bought it---When we moved into town, I just dug it up an put it into a pot and let it live indoors until my husband got to making my raised garden--but I never did trim it back in the spring OR fall and I was wondering if I should be doing so. And thanks for the information on the sage pruning--I will be sure to take care of it ASAP