Russian Sage care is pretty straight forward. Pruning can either be in the fall or spring. Allow the stems and seed pods to remain in the garden until spring creates winter interest, if you prefer a tidier appearance, you can cut the stems back to a foot above the ground.

Spring and summer care for Russian sage consists mainly of pruning. When new spring growth emerges, cut the old stems back to just above the lowest set of leaves. If the plant begins to spread open or sprawl in late spring or summer, shear off the top one-third of the stems to encourage upright growth. Remove the top half of the stems if the plant stops blooming in summer. This encourages new growth and a fresh flush of flowers.

If you want to keep the plant(s) you will get suckers every year. It is hard to get a plant not to do what come naturally. The safest way is to dig the suckers out and offer them to your friends. The Russian Sage is a plant for pollinators.

You can use a herbicide, but I would dig around the mother plant before treating the suckers with a herbicide like RoundUp or something with 2,4D in it. When using these herbicides be careful and spray on a still day and be sure to follow the labels. Don’t broadcast spray, just spray the sucker.