Meet the Maker: Sage Journal

This week we spoke to Emma Sage, founder and editor of Sage Journal — an online magazine and annual print journal for the garden curious. 

Emma is a writer, gardener and mother based in Hawke's Bay. Sage began with a passion for green spaces and a curiosity about how a garden can be an extension of the home. Outdoor rooms, extra spaces to dwell, gather, play and create. Emma started Sage Journal when she couldn't find the gardening inspiration she was looking for, real gardens, and down-to-earth people in everyday places. 

We caught up with Emma to hear more about her, her work, and of course her favourite places to eat and things to watch.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and Sage Journal 
I'm Emma, founder and editor of Sage Journal, and a mum of three based in Hawke's Bay. I grew up on a farm here and have dabbled with gardening and growing my whole life. But when I bought my first home to renovate in Christchurch, that's when my real passion for gardening began.

After years of sitting on the idea, in 2020 I launched Sage Journal, initially as an online journal sharing the kind of garden stories I wanted to read: beautiful but relatable gardens, the people behind them and practical inspiration that made sense for New Zealand gardeners. Over the past six years we've grown a lovely community across New Zealand and Australia, and last year we took the leap into print with our first annual volume. We've now just released Vol. 2!

2. Sage began with a curiosity about how a garden can be an extension of the home. What does that look like in your own place?
From inside a home, you could be looking out at a patch of grass, a fence or the road, or you can surround yourself with layers of greenery and make nature part of what you see every day.

I also love borrowing from the landscape around us. You can layer your planting to make the most of the established trees and greenery on surrounding properties, so visually it all starts to blend together. It can make your section feel bigger and makes the garden feel like it extends well beyond our own boundaries. 3. You write about outdoor "rooms" — spaces to dwell, gather, play and create. Is there one in your garden that gets used more than the others? Tell us what's in it. 
We have quite a few different outdoor 'rooms', and they all get used in different ways throughout the seasons. The one we probably use most is an unconventional, curvy deck off the house, where we spend lots of time together.

We also have a small children's area tucked around the side of the house, with a mud kitchen and space for experimental growing which is fun for the kids. Then there's another courtyard area by the pool, which becomes a gathering place over summer. I like that spaces can have their own purpose at different times of the year.

4. What makes a place feel like home to you?
I love homes that feel lived in and tell you something about the people who live there. I think something gardening is teaching me is that our homes don't need to be perfect. There's no perfection in gardens, but plenty of beauty.

5. As an editor you're always deciding what make it into Sage. What is it about a place that makes you want to share it?
For me, it's less about the style or size of a garden and more about space that are very clearly well loved. I'm also interested in places that have a story behind them.

There might be an incredible or unusual plant collection, clever design, a different approach to growing, or simply a garden that's evolved over many years. Often it's the little details that catch my attention. I want to know who's behind the garden, what's influenced their ideas and what they've learned along the way.

6. Sage brings people together in gardens and around tables. What is it about those gatherings that keeps you creating them?
Gardeners are some of the most generous, caring people I know. They care for the land and they care for people. They share their gardens, their knowledge and often their plants and produce too.

There's something lovely about bringing together people who might not otherwise meet, but who have something in common because they're curious about the same things. We love creating events where people can share ideas, ask questions and swap stories and advice. The journal has helped us build a really engaged community, and our events are a chance to bring some of those people together in real life.

Quickfire...

Favourite maker/creator to follow... there's so many clever gardeners on social media, but you can't beat Monty Don.
A plant you'd recommend to anyone... Phylica - so textural and looks good year round.
The one tool you'd never garden without... Niwashi weeder!

Best place for (in Hawkes's Bay)
Dinner... Craggy Range
Coffee... Hawthrone or any of the Firsthand cafes
A wander... Te Mata Peak

What are you
Listening to... RNZ's All In Her Head podcast
Reading... The Truth about Ruby Cooper by Liz Nugent
Watching... Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee - a nice easy one.
Growing... Lots! But I'm excited to see my daffodils and self-seeded orlaya popping up at the moment.