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It's one of my favorites in my cottage-style garden, and I've also seen them used very effectively as "backdrop" hedge plantings or to anchor entrances in formal rose gardens. That cloud of cool silvery foliage and misty lavender-blue blooms is just wonderful!
When you say you give them a light pruning down to about 6 inches... you don't mean you cut them back to within 6 inches of the ground, do you? I wasn't sure how to interpret this... and I'm never quite sure how to prune mine. Early this spring, before new growth really got underway, I pruned mine back so I had just a couple inches left on all the vigorous looking branches. I got rid of the spindly upper growth (mine hadn't been pruned in a while). Looks like I'm getting some new growth from the bottom now as well as good growth from those branch points, so maybe I guessed right.
I discovered this plant last year, its totally new to me. The first time I saw it I thought it was a salvia. I really like them and thanks for the article. Your sense of humor is wonderful, you are a great writer.
Sorry for the pruning confusion. I should have clarified this a little better. In winters past, I have pruned my R. Sage down to the point where the existing plant was only 6" high. They have responded well to this; new growth also came up from the ground. This past spring, however, I did what you did and just kind of trimmed the ratty tops off. Both methods seem to work just fine...Russian Sage is thankfully pretty forgiving, except when placed in shade or overwatered.
Wow, you really did trim it almost all the way to the ground... I may try this if mine get really ratty looking again. I never seem to have the nerve to do radical pruning, without specific advice. Thanks!
Yeah, it's scary, I know. I don't usually prune my woodies down that far, but doing it during winter dormancy seems to be ok, at least for Perovskia. (I wouldn't prune my rosemarys like that, though!)
