I'm not an expert but the leaves looks like one of the many microphyllas.

Helena

It looks very much to me like S. greggii x microphylla `Maraschino'. It might be a different microphylla or hybrid, but it will take a sample from robust outdoor growth to be sure.

`Maraschino' is the first hybrid I released to the trade. It was a sport from my garden.

Thanks for the help. Can this be started from seed? I don't remember ordering this from anyone, but did start salvia from seed last summer. I keep pretty good records of everything I plant, and have no info on this one. Could this have hitchiked in by mistake on a live plant I ordered?

Any seed from a greggii x microphylla cross can look a lot like its hybrid parent, but can just as easily range from one of the original parent to the other.

The hybrid crosses are all quite fertile, so it is still possible your plant is not Maraschino. You could have easily gotten it as a volunteer, since I found Maraschino in one of the parent's stock plant pots.

Is the upper hood more purplish than the red bottom lip? I posted an unknown in Oct. that looks similar to yours. I don't know where mine came from either.

Rich: I didn't realize Marachino came from your garden. This is one of my favorite bushes. I have lots of room to fill up and Marachino does this beautifully.

westelle...yes, the upper lip is slightly more of a fuschia with a darker purple spot. The lower lip is a bright cherry red. I found this growing just a few feet from a san carlos. At first I thought it might be one and the same. But upon closer inspection, even the leaves are different. I took cuttings of both and the san carlos is quite a bit pinker/fuschia than this. But I know I didn't plant this one.