Yes, there are a number of good salvias for the south-east. Here are a few places to check out on the net: a world of salvias, plant delights nursery, and singing springs nursery. A world of salvias has comments on good plants for the south-east in the salvia gallery, ones that take heat and more important, humidity.

I am in N. Florida and the pineapple sage is wonderful. It comes back after it freezes to the ground. My daughter is in Fernandina and she has it year round, it has not froze back in the three years she has had it. Also Salvia Coccinea does good. You can buy this at Reflections of Nature Nursery on main street in Yulee. Also he has the salvias for this area.

Jrgardner almost any salvia you plant in this area will be a perennial. I lost "Lady in Red" this winter but I think that was my fault. Mine come back every year bigger and sronger.

Salvia coccinea of any kind is good, whether Lady in Red, one of the other cultivars, or the regular species. The nice thing about them is they are readily available as seed, and can be started when tomatoes are started - I have 50 or so hardening off for planting now. Once you have them, you can expect them to reseed each year, unless you have other more vigorous reseeders. My patch went for years until verbena boneriensis shouldered it out. Black & Blue Salvia would work well for you, or any of the other guarantica cultivars that struck you fancy. There is quite a bit of discussion on Humnet (do a search) about plants for the humid south-east. They have several old threads available that cover salvias and other plants that hummingbirds favor. And just so you know, there are a lot of us in colder climates that wish we had the selection you have. Just be careful, hummingbird plants are like drugs or cigarettes, once you start it can be hard to stop. The one big difference is, gardeners usually die happy.

Thanks everyone for the ideas -- I've been thinking of black and blue and may night -- but there are so many to choose from -- more than I ever thought. This could be addictive.

One follow up question: Is it too late to start from seed? We have a pretty long season - no freeze until December or January. What do you think??

JR

Hey JR. We're probably in pretty similar climates so what works for me should work for you. It isn't too late to start seeds at least of the annual coccineas. All of them do well and as someone said will reseed forever. My favorite salvias are guarnitica black and blue, leucantha "Santa Barbara" (the all purple coloring is much prettier than the regular), indigo spires (excellent!), madrensis (yellow, fall bloomer), and rosebud (can't remember the botanical name). Anthony Parker is gorgeous but very big, not as pretty as Santa Barbara, and blooms during the same period. Argentine Skies was too pale for my taste and bloomed sparingly. Limelight never bloomed but it is getting a second year. Purple Majesty is a beautiful color but was really tall and kind of weedy looking to me. I'm trying salvia staminea this year for the first time and can't wait to see how it does!

If I had plenty of room I'd have them all but with limited space I'd choose black and blue, indigo spires, Santa Barbara, madrensis, and rosebud, pretty much in that order. Almost forgot, May Night is pretty but has to be deadheaded to keep it going. Victoria has performed better for me.

Hope that helps!

And oh yes, pineapple sage! Love it and can't believe I forgot it.

Annie --

Thanks for the suggestion and advice. Have you ever tried coral nymph -- I have two seedlings (that I stated in Feb) that are about 4" high and hardening off on my porch. Any success with them?

JR

Don't forget Mexican Bush Sage. I don't believe that it has been mentioned.

If you live close to an Ace Hardware check it out. I went into one last week and found at least 10 different salvias. Some I had and those I didn't I bought.

JR, sorry I didn't check back in here sooner and hope you still get the response. Coral Nymph is one of the annual, prolific reseeders. Once you have it you will never be without! It is very pretty and I like the way it pops up here and there between other plants. Easy to remove if you have too much (which you will).

Just realized I didn't mention Van Houttei which is a stunning color. It is marginally tender for me but would probably do a little better for you since you're probably a few degrees warmer in the winter.

Annie -- I'm so glad you mentioned Coral Nymph -- I have two little seedlings (I received seeds in trade post-hurricane) and they sounded just lovely -- I can't wait to see how they turn out. I've never heard of Van Houtteii, but will check it out.

Thanks again!
JR