I have a common sage plant (perennial, the kind that forms a small, low woody bush; culinary sage...I use the leaves as seasoning) that has been with me for about 10 years. I'm never sure how to prune it. It is getting a lot of dead wood underneath and I try to cut that out to keep it from rotting. I also remove the spent flower heads and whatever dead twigs present themselves. But it's getting very messy and sprawling. Can a sage bush be pruned like other shrubs, to shape it? Can I just get in there and whack it back to stimulate new growth? Or will a rigorous pruning kill it?

We sure do. We're never hesitant to go in there and cut it way back and it always responds with brand new flushes of growth.

Thanks Dave! Ok, I'll give it a try. (Says in ominous voice: "On your head is my sage if it dies...")

I shear my Wild Thing (Salvia greggii) back every February and don't hesitate to cut out dead or poorly performing wood as needed year round.

Salvia greggii gets pruned even more for us. We prune them heavily during the season, as they grow. It promotes more branching and blooming.