Struggling with Meadow Sage — would appreciate advice

I want to be honest: I'm not getting great results with Meadow Sage and I'm not entirely sure why. dog walkers or trampling on unmown meadow areas has been a recurring problem despite my attempts to address it. I've been focusing on allowing plants to set seed before cutting at the end of season based on everything I've read.

exceptional wildlife value for bees, butterflies, and hoverflies is there in glimpses, which tells me the plant has potential in my conditions. I have it in a wildlife pond margin planting which might not be ideal. early spring bulbs and annual seedling germination showed some improvement. Two stars for now — not the plant's fault, but not a success yet. I'll update if things improve.