Cutting back herbs and Salvia

Can anyone tell me if it is too early to cut my herbs back? My sage has got a bit woody and I wondered if that would grow from old wood.

My salvia microphilla also need cutting back, but I don't want to lose them. They're alive at the moment!

 

Salvia microphylla is a small woody shrub, and doesn't need to be cut back on a regular basis like herbaceous plants. However it does seem to grow again from old wood, so it should be OK, but personally I wouldn't do it quite yet. S. mircophylla is only borderline hardy and I wouldn't want to take any risks yet. I protect a large one with fleece, and its now about 8 years old. But I have lost smaller ones that were unprotected.

I have read that they are short lived - little more than 5 years. So I must remember to take some cuttings. It also grows easily from seed.

 

I've taken Sage back to (literally) within an inch of its life, and it came back, but I only did in in desperation because it looked diseased.

I did however carefully look for signs of buds, and cut just above those buds.

Personally, what I'd do is cut back to the bottom few leaves for now. That will make it look a bit sorry for itself. Then in a month or so I'd look for new buds lower down, and if there are any, I'd cut just above the lowest bud I could find.

 

Hi,
Cos I don't know what I'm doing, I've hacked my salvia back each year and it comes back with a bounce. Looks so unsightly when it's died back.

Maybe I've just been lucky.

D

 

Thank you everyone, that's really helpful.

I'm leaving my salvias until the warmer weather. I have them growing through roses in the rose bed and it really works. I've been brutal with my roses but left the salvias.

My husband has butchered the sage! Fingers crossed!