What is the duration of the cold weather? This relates to the penetration of cold in the ground. The USDA Zone also would help.

Are you familiar with your microclimate? It can make a huge difference if you are atop a hill, on a hillside, or in a bottom.

I'm familiar with Redding's climate. you can grow most of the drought resistant native sages and a number of the Mexican ones too, but mulch for moisture in summer and mulch for warmth in winter.

Natives: Salvia apiana, Salvia clevelandii, Salvia dorrii, Salvia greatae, Salvia leucophylla, Salvia mellifera, Salvia mohavensis, Salvia munzii, Salvia pachyphylla, Salvia sonomensis, Salvia spathacea, Salvia vaseyi, Some will die if given water in the summer heat, like S. pachyphylla, mohavensis, greatae and vaseyi, and some of those are hard to find in nurseries.

Others: S. Leucantha, S. microphylla, S. aurea, S. chiapensis, S. jamenisis, S. chamaedryoides, S. arizonica, and S. hispanica.

rich dufresne the cold nights are through with by 8 in the morning,we average only about 12 good frosts each winter. Daytime temps are always45-60 in the coldest months. We do live at the top of a hill with temps running a couple of degrees above forecast temps.

Dicot thanks for info. I don't think I will be growing any natives,but will give the ones on the last line a try. I do quite good with some Greggii 's but don't know the names of them. Since I own a heated greenhouse it does give me an advantage as far as over wintering some tender ones, especially container grown.

John

I have found that S. darcyii , salvia chamaedriodes, S. regla, s. chionophylla, s. chiquita, S azuria, s. farenacea, s. englemani, Salvia reptans, Salvia Melissodora are all good heat lovers, here in Central texas. You winter sounds like ours, and your summer sounds like ours. too. We had 100 days above 100 this year. I always tell people we have three three day winters. We have had one three day period.

You might also try a 'Trident' sage. It's a complex hybrid of S. clevelandii, S. dorrii, and S. chamaedryoides. It's one of the few that can take full sun in our burning hot summers, and combines the showiness and long bloom of its other two ancestors.

Kevin : )

Tugbrethil thanks for your advice. I haven't heard of a Trident Sage but will attempt to find a supplier. I just came back from visiting Scottsdale Arizona about a month ago. I did purchase a lovely red Salvia from the Boyce Thompson Arbetorium down there by Globe. It didn't have a name tag on it but it had a rather large red flower,it resides in my greenhouse for now, so I will plant it in the spring and take cuttings for contingency. I may give Boyce Thompson a call to see if they can Id it for me

Trident comes from Mountain States Nursery in Arizona. I think the third parent is S. leucophylla, not chamaedryoides.

just checking an older post and wanted to add what I've heard and know about Salvia 'Trident', formerly known as S. "Gayle Nielsen" (spelling may be off). In any case the three parents are allegedly clevelandii, dorrii, and mohavensis. There is probably a contection with S."Carl Nielsen" which maybe a parent plant reported to be S.mohavensis x clevelandii. Trident very much favors dorrii in leaf form and overall scent of the plant and clevelandii in height. It just smells like a dorrii. Mohavesis parentage isn't so obvious.

The Carl Nielsen I know is a Danish composer (1865-1931) .