Welcome to the salvia forum. I've yet to make a trade on the exchange, but hope to in the spring. The reason for doing it in the spring is that many of the best hummingbird sages are kind of marginal in zones 6 & 7 and do better if they have had the whole growing season to get their feet set. There's some nice information available if you do an on-line search. Check out "salvia for zone 7" where you will find several informative theads, "a world of salvias", and the rather fine "robins salvias" in the UK. Those of us working with these semi-hardy salvias in the east are still breaking new ground, and while we stand on the shoulders of those who went before us in the 1980s & 1990s, there is still a lot to learn. Many of us , including me, must still consider ourselves novices, which I think makes for some exciting gardening.

For anyone in our general area looking for a bit of quick success, I would strongly recommend growing any of the salvia coccinea cultivars from seed next spring. If you plant the seeds in March you can expect flowers starting in June, and flowering will continue all season until frost. Almost any good seed rack carries one variety or other - my favorites are Lady in Red and Coral Nymph.

Lastly, there are a number of very fine on line nurseries such as High Country Gardens to order from. Most sites tell you whether you have a chance on overwintering a particular plant in your zone and give tips on increasing your chances of success. I fully understand the impulse to trade plants. Many of my most prized plants come from well loved friends and neighbors. They form a tie that binds and include several from those who have long since passed on.