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Russian Sage are beautiful in certain situations, easy to grow and drought resistant but in my opinion, I believe they tend to look a little ratty and rough unless planted en masse in a very large area, where they are quite striking. I have had 3 planted in my front yard for three years and I this year I will include them in my neighborhood plant exchange for something else. There are many native plants to my area that are heat and drought resistant and I guess I would prefer to use them as to use a plant that is not native to attract butterflies to my yard.
I think I'd like mine less as an isolated specimen, but it makes a spectacular backdrop to some black-eyed susans, next to a big boulder in my yard. Sometimes it's a question of placement or pruning -- and sometimes we just end up deciding a particular plant isn't for us. :-)
I agree that a stand-alone planting of this would look funky. And, as I mentioned in my article, my big complaint about Russian Sage is that it can be messy when the flowers start to drop. I've lined my driveway with them, though, and they look great. The ultimate in low maintenance.
This is one of the front gardens that is 200 feet from the road. My neighbors tell me that when they turn the corner after a long days work, these vivid colors (russian sage being one of them) can be seen and appreciated as "eye candy"
