Carol,

Mine never gets as big and lush as other people's either. I've tried growing them in three locations. Same results. I am anxious to hear what other people's responses will be.

~Annie

Mine disappeared when the plumbago and Mexican bush sage took over this year. I'd forgotten about them until this thread. Guess it's safe to say they're history, lol.

Mine is taking over the end of the border it is in! It has been planted lots of years and is maybe 6 feet wide by 4 feet tall. It seems to spread by underground runners. I have dug up two or three which is a real job and moved to other spots.

I have the unnamed perovskia atriplicifolia. It is planted on a slope of reddish clay/garden variety soil, never fed, never watered. That spot borders on dry.

I never cut it to the ground. If I remember, I do cut it back by about half, less than what they recommend.

I do love it and how it smells. It is on the front cover of 'Fine Gardening' this month along with sedum 'Autumn Joy' and the combo looks wonderful. I hope I can remember to buy some next year.

I think the secret is full sun and don't fertilize at all. Water only to get it started and then let rain take care of it.

I've had mine since 07 - and this is the first year it's been very full. I don't prune mine back to the ground - This spring, before it bloomed I took off just the thin tips of each branch - so it may have been a 1/3 of the plant.

I put some in last year and this year its grown up to my shoulders. I pruned it back to about my knees (I know, I'm very scientific in my measurements!) after it had already bloomed and it's starting to bloom again. It's probably 5 times the size it was when I purchased it, and I do absolutely nothing to it, even when watering I barely give it a sprinkle.

Everything you read about this plant says it's drought tolerant, but I'm beginning to wonder if maybe it prefers having regular rainfall.

I was just up in PA on vacation and saw it everywhere, looking fabulous, and they've had rain this year. Here in my hometown in TX I haven't seen it growing anywhere. When I planted it, I thought it would be something really unusual. Which I guess it is ... just not spectacular in the way I was hoping!

My malingering Perovskia:

I just counted and there are 18(!) of them in this approximately 20'x10' area. I realize I'll need to thin them if they ever take off.

Treelover, is that rosemary in the background? It's beautiful!

So far it sounds like Russian sage is happier in more northern gardens.

Give it time, it is more a shrub than a regular perennial and needs a few years to reach it's prime!

Yes, those in the photo are Tuscan rosemary, planted at the same time as the R. sage. I also have some prostrate in the same bed. It has taken an enormous amount of discipline to keep myself from junking up this new bed with just any old thing.

gldno: I hadn't thought of them that way . . . it puts a whole new perspective on the situation.

Thanks all, for your responses!

I think I will put a few of the R. sage out in my parking/hell strip this fall and see how they do there.

Here's a picture of my russian sage,kinda of unruly.
Kathi

Hum, add me to the list of those who can't grow RS. I bought a pot of it a couple of years ago, lured by photos in Fine Gardening and the promise of drought tolerance. The plant just sat there and looked miserable. Last year I decided it was not in a good spot, so I moved it to a sunnier one and paired it with sedum Autumn Joy, Mexican bush sage and purple coneflower (yes, again Fine Gardening luring me). The sage and the sedums are going wild, the coneflowers are wimpy and the RS is barely alive :-( I have tried to water it, not to water it, the soil there is definitely not too rich, the roses nearby do well, so I don't know what the problem is. Coneflowers are another of my gardening nemesis. I have been trying to grow them for years and they look nothing but pathetic. I tend to agree these plants need more rain during Summer than my Mediterranean climate has to offer...

Eduarda

In cooler zones such as mine, these plants grow tall and bushy. I try to prune them at the start of the season so they grow upright.

Perhaps the variety you have in texas is a different kind and also, I think perhaps in your zone this plant grows smaller.

Although they do take to drought conditions, they do particularly well when they get regular waterings. Mine has reseeded several times over. I pair them with my coneflowers, shasta daisies, w/ dill and with ornamental grasses.

Ianna