If I knew the answer to give you I would :) I dont have a green thumb, and no plants planted.. I relied on my feeders.
I plan to get plant books this winter. I hope somone can give the answers you need maby I will learn somthing too :)

There are over 900 species of salvia that are both perennials and annuals.

The black and blue salvia is Salvia guaranitica, and regarding the very vibrant red one, well there are lots of red ones, but I would imagine that you might be referring to S. coccinea 'Lady in Red' since they are fairly common and sold at WalMart, Lowes, Home Depot, etc.

Since I live in Zone 9a, and my salvias grow as perennials, even the ones that are listed as annuals, I can't tell you how to grow them in the Midwest, but there are lots of great websites on salvias, including Robin's Salvias and Clemson U. And you might want to check on the GardenWeb Salvia Forum.

Good luck!

lovefornature--- Yes I too love the B and B and I have about 10 plants in my yard. You can get these online or at any good nursery near you. I had gotten some online and some from a large plantfarm near me. You could get seeds from someone online, but the problem with that is that they may not come true from seed. This being my first year to have sal. b & b not sure if they will make it thru the winter and come back next spring, but at least I know where I can get them. As far as the red ones you were referring to , I have to agree with Linda that it is most likely coccinea , lady in red.

I live in Austin, TX in Zone 8, and I grow lots of different Salvias. Our winters are generally mild, however; I have learned not to cut the dead growth back until I see green in the spring. I do this with all of my perennials including Lantana and Salvia, and I get a much better survival rate. It does look somewhat ugly in the winter, but I have invested a lot of money in these plants so I don't really care. Mulch is also very important. Good luck!

For plants...if you know where Grant Park, IL is, Sunrise Greenhouse, aka Woldhuis Farms, had many of the hummer plants talked about on this site. Place is huge & have almost everything you could ever want. They have a website, but you can't buy on it but can see what they sell. Found Black & Blue at both Green Glen Nursery in Joliet & Sid's Nursery in Bolingbrook, if you would be familiar with those towns. I bought "Pineapple Sage" & "Texas Hummingbird Sage" seeds from UnderwoodGardens.com & they were very easy to start in flats (both very vivid red). I start lots of plants in those 3-tier mini greenhouses on a table in my basement, right next to a South window & hang 2 under-cabinet lights per tier & have great success. Just have to watch the moisture level so seeds don't dampen off.

Thank you so much for the ideas on growing and places to find. Seeing things up close and in person certainly makes a difference. It is truly appreciated :)