In spring we celebrate the beautiful Sage plant.
Clary Sage is a gorgeous plant.
Bertie County and the surrounding counties in eastern North Carolina grow 15,000 acres of Clary Sage. This sage is in the Salvia family; I remember my mother calling the red salvia that is so popular “scarlet sage.” Clary Sage is a beautiful plant that grows upright and blooms with vibrant, mostly purple flowers.
Fields of blooming sage are all over eastern North Carolina in May
Avoca Farms in Merry Hill is one of the sponsors for the Sage Festival. Avoca Farms is named for Avoca Plantation that was located where the farms are now. Bertie County had its share of plantations including Avoca, Scotch Hall and Hope Plantation.
At Avoca, the sage is distilled, extracting a waxy material that is used in many products including expensive perfumes, to make fragrances linger longer. Sage has many uses, including medicinal.
If you are tempted to stop and pick a bouquet – don’t. Not because someone will arrest you, but because the sage flowers really don’t smell good.
Beautiful Clary Sage blooms in eastern North Carolina every May
Lewis Hoggard of the Windsor Bertie Chamber of Commerce said you can watch folks stop and pick a flower or two, and guaranteed about 100 yards down the road, they pitch them out. Glad they compost!
On Saturday, the folks from Avoca will host an “in-field” Sage Harvest demonstration Hope to see you all there.
Sage Festival, Windsor, NC – 2016 was the last Sage Festival-too bad. But the sage is still all around us so come on to Eastern North Carolina for a visit in early summer and you can see this beautiful plant.
Details – Windsor Chamber of Commerce, 252-794-4277
Distances from:
124 miles east of Raleigh, NC
91 miles south of Norfolk, VA
41 miles east of Greenville, NC
17 miles north of Big Mill Bed & Breakfast in Williamston, NC 252-792-8787
Thanks to Joan Daniels for these gorgeous photos.
Map from Big Mill B&B to Sage Festival (17 miles)
View Sage Festival in a larger map
View Sage Festival in a larger map
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