s. leucantha.....

S. involucrata "Mulberry Jam" --- the Hummers would agree.

S. greggii, if it doesn't bloom all year, it is always the first bloom of spring, and the last plant blooming in the fall. And of course the hummers live it.

A pink salvia micropylla that's the first to bloom for me.

Helena, would that be either S. microphylla neurepia (likely), La Trinidad Pink (likely), or Wild Watermelon (not so likely). Also do you have Salvia gesneraeflora x mexicana Raspberry Truffle?

S. clevelandii has the best combo of smell, flowers and 12 month long shape in my yard, so I'm tempted to choose it. I do like apiana quite a bit too.

Salvia greggii so many forms,colors and more coming.
Art

My interest is the Audibertia group, and S. clevelandii is my favorite. The aroma wafting over from my native plant slope in the evening is heavenly.

Very difficult question!!! For me in the cold winter, Salvia leucocephala is the most stunning Salvia in my heated greenhouse. Such a joy to see this every day whilst the garden is bare. A close 2nd would be Salvia heerii.

Rich, I have lost the name tag to this salvia microphylla and it seems I've had it forever. I also have s. microphylla neurepia, it's coming back nicely and is a good bloomer for me. I like it a lot too. Unfortunately I lost s. gesneraeflora x mexicana Raspberry Truffle about 2 years ago or so. Hope you are able to get it back.

If my Indigo Spires returns, then that's my favorite. The guaranitica are just now showing foliage in my garden, so I'm still hopeful.

Otherwise--I have so many colors of greggii. Very reliable and rewarding, so I'm adding 'Yellow Cloud' for another color scheme.

I have a Salvia pachyphylla on order. I just have to try it in spite of our humidity.

Cameron

I've only tried S. pachyphylla from cuttings and never been able to get them to survive. Maybe it'll be easier from seed. This is a plant that likes a dry climate and cool/cold nights, even in summer. See my photos in another thread, taken in the Santa Rosa Mtns. at 7000 ft.

Salvia curviflora is hard to beat.

Agree!!!!! Salvia curviflora is outstanding........but needs protection from strong winds, as is rather brittle.

I'm with dicot -- s. clevelandii. That smell is California to me.

If my Indigo Spires returns, then that's my favorite. The guaranitica are just now showing foliage in my garden, so I'm still hopeful.

Otherwise--I have so many colors of greggii. Very reliable and rewarding

Ditto. The greggi are so easy to "divide" everytime I move them too and are semi evergreen here.
My black and blues are hardy but slow to get going. They are up by about an inch. The greggii all have buds now
and so do the caradonna.

I've been avoiding this thread because it's too difficult to answer. :) The salvias that I love for their blooms tend to be short lived... so I'm going to have to answer the microphyllas, greggiis, and all their hybrids (yes, I realize that is more than one, LOL). They bloom here practically all year long, and my hummingbirds adore them. Currently, I really like Shell Dancer. UCB Pink was, I believe, the first salvia I planted in my current garden, and still one of my favorites. I picked a few more up today... one is apparently a new hybrid: Berkeley Barb. Check out the many microphyllas propagated by this nursery, and click links for photos:

http://montereybaynsy.com/S.htm

I love the salvia hybrid Mystic Spires Blue. I don't know why they say it's blue because it seems a deep purple to me. It's been a prolific bloomer from spring until is frost. It's showier than some of the other non-hybrid varieties and blooms non-stop in a mounded, upright habit. I have a number of greggii's which I love and am trying some microphylla's this year.