Icterina: smaak en teelt
Yellow-green variegated foliage for light accents.
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
- Use
- Earthy, strongly aromatic and lightly peppery. Icterina is described by the RHS as having good flavour; Berggarten has a strong aroma. Leaf colour alone does not prove a different flavour.
- Care
- Full sun, shelter and good drainage. Avoid constantly wet, heavy soil.
- Harvest and flowering
- Take young leaves or small tips. Use sparingly in your first dish to get to know the strong character.
What makes Icterina special?
Scent, flavour and use
Good-flavoured leaves confirmed by RHS, without a more specific profile.
Earthy, strongly aromatic and lightly peppery. Icterina is described by the RHS as having good flavour; Berggarten has a strong aroma. Leaf colour alone does not prove a different flavour.
Growing and harvesting this variety
Full sun, shelter and good drainage. Avoid constantly wet, heavy soil.
Take young leaves or small tips. Use sparingly in your first dish to get to know the strong character.
Choose your way to grow
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
A sunny sage patch with leaf colours
Culinary sage combines soft grey-green leaves with a distinctive aroma. Purple, yellow-variegated and tricolour forms immediately add variety to a herb garden. Keep the botanical identity clear: not every plant sold with sage in its name is ordinary culinary Salvia officinalis.
- Choose clearly labelled Salvia officinalis varieties with different leaf colours.
- Plant in a sunny, sheltered, well-drained position with room for growth.
- Cut small, young leaves and taste in modest quantities.
- Trim an established plant lightly in spring within living, green growth.
For an identifiable harvesting spot with enough room for this growth habit.
Separate pots for culinary cultivars
Buy the named plant from the herb section and keep its name. Russian sage and various ornamental selections do not automatically belong in the same culinary guidance. The safe identity here is Salvia officinalis with the correct cultivar. A polished photo illustrates the plant; it is not a standalone identification key for harvesting in the wild.
- Place each named culinary sage in a free-draining pot with its own label.
- Leave enough spacing to examine the different colours and leaves.
- Harvest a few young leaves and leave enough green for recovery.
- Take a cutting of a healthy, favourite plant promptly before an old specimen becomes bare.
For a second growing position where you can compare shape, scent or harvesting rhythm.
How to create your own herb-growing space
Make sage a small leaf collection that you actually use. Berggarten provides a broad leaf to hold and inspect; Tricolor shows a different colour distribution. Lay a small leaf from each plant side by side before harvesting. The difference in appearance is inspiring enough without inventing a cooking aroma for every cultivar.
Choose a suitable growing position
Buy the named plant from the herb section and keep its name. Russian sage and various ornamental selections do not automatically belong in the same culinary guidance. The safe identity here is Salvia officinalis with the correct cultivar. A polished photo illustrates the plant; it is not a standalone identification key for harvesting in the wild.
From plant to kitchen
A pot keeps sage accessible and makes a wet garden usable when the pot itself drains well. Put the grey-green shrub beside a second pot with yellow-variegated leaves for a clear contrast. Leave room to cut sprigs without pulling at the other plant.
Plan the next harvest
Taste one small leaf in a simple cooked preparation and increase the amount only if you enjoy it. Also plan a light maintenance trim when the plant is visibly growing. Do not treat an old, bare bush as though it responds like a young, bushy plant.
Scent, flavour and use
Earthy, strongly aromatic and lightly peppery. Icterina is described by the RHS as having good flavour; Berggarten has a strong aroma. Leaf colour alone does not prove a different flavour.
Care, cutting and harvesting
Full sun, shelter and good drainage. Avoid constantly wet, heavy soil.
Lightly trim young growth in spring to keep it compact. Do not cut deeply into bare old wood without checking.
Take young leaves or small tips. Use sparingly in your first dish to get to know the strong character.
Cutting, caring and following the season
Lightly trim young growth in spring to keep it compact. Do not cut deeply into bare old wood without checking.
Species information and annual cycle
- Space
- Recommended spacing is missing. Check the plant label or seed packet; unknown space does not count as free space.
- Soil
- No pH range supported by sources is included. Test your soil and follow species and variety guidance.
- Season
- An indicative growth estimate is included; actual development still needs checking.
- Care
- Guide advice is available; the automatic species task matrix is not yet complete. Check the plant regularly and plan a task yourself if needed.
What you need
Tick what you already have. The extras depend on how you grow.
0 of 6 ticked off
Your ticks are saved in this browser.
Make it your garden
Save your favourite variety or add it to My garden. Your own observations determine the growth stage; care tasks are based on the species.
Add Icterina to my gardenExplore more herbsSources and image information
SeedSteps editorial team · checked on 13 October 2026. Flavour descriptions come from the listed sources; ripeness and growing conditions affect flavour. AI images illustrate described characteristics and do not prove cultivar identity.
- World Checklist of Vascular Plants — 4 juni 2026Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · 2026-10-07
- Herbs – Real Life, Good FoodUniversity of Minnesota Extension · 2026-10-13
- Growing herbs in home gardensUniversity of Minnesota Extension · 2026-10-13
- How to grow sageRoyal Horticultural Society · 2026-10-13