Put it in a pot. A VERY LARGE pot. And be prepared to have to repot it at least once or twice a year. It has a very aggressive root system, and can spread far and wide in a short time. That's in a warm climate, anyway. It is a declared noxious weed (for that reason) in my part of the world. In cooler areas, it won't be quite so badly-behaved and won't get so big.

Yep, it likes full sun, well-drained soil and plenty of water, unlike some of its Salvia relatives - in fact is quite a thirsty plant.

It can get quite straggly, and the best way to overcome this is to give it a good pruning in late summer - that's the time you can divide the plant if you want to. If the leaves begin to turn yellow - it's run out of space.

It isn't a 'thug' in my garden in central CA, so I doubt that it will be in your much cooler garden. It definitely won't survive your winter outdoors. This Salvia is a late bloomer and would normally bloom in late Summer and Fall IF it has enough warmth. As Daisy said, is to make some starts in the Fall and have them grow inside until Spring. I find they do best in the ground here, but if their pot is warm -- and moist -- they might bloom sooner.

It gets fairly warm here in the summer. It's been in the high 90's and 100+ lately. So I guess mulching the plant over winter isn't gonna work, eh? I figured what the hey, I got about 8 plants in the $5 pot I bought, so maybe I can try and go half in the ground and half in a bigger pot and also do some cuttings.

Thank you both for the tips! I'm eager to see what'll become of my plant. ;)