Tonight and tomorrow will be 47 and 48 degrees. The 15-day forecast suggest 53 degrees as the lowest. The leaves are starting to turn black. I think I should of passed on these. They are too Tropical for my Zone. It's just that everyone talks about how they are good hummer plants. Woo is Me...! Thank You Wantonamara.

My brand new salvia regal has been in a pot getting hardened and experiencing those temps and they are fine. We have dipped into the 40's three times this last week, In the ground and settled in, Salvia regal can do freezes down to 10F but I am unsure of anything below that. Black and blue, I have not grown. Are you keeping theses in the sun. They should be in the shade while acclimatizing. Regla is a bright shade / partshade plant. I do not think that your temps are causing the black leaves

How moist is the soil? The roots need air to breath. Stagnant water or overfertilization will kill off the roots and produce leaf damage as well.

Regla makes a good container plant for about 3 - 4 years. Start a new plant each year to keep it going. I collected this sage by an open roadside in Coahuila on a trip with Carl and John of Yucca-Do, and it does well in full sun as long as it has the right kind of soil. The two sage trees in Jame were about 30 feet tall and had 4 inch trunks of pretty solid wood, since they kept two boulders from rolling down the hillside.

You might check your microclimate for a warm, sunny spot with protection from west to north winds.

I'm going to plant them tomorrow. I put them in bright shade and well watered during the day. I bring them in at night. Its still a problem. I'll put pots on top in the evening. Thank You Wantanomera and rich_dufresene for you input.

"Black and Blue", properly hardened off should be fine with nighttime temps no colder than the upper 40s (frost might kill small plants in their first season).

If sited well and mulched in winter, it should be reliably perennial for you.

I got them in the shade sitting in water. I planted the 'regla' and 1 guaranitica last week. They are starting to look better. This is going to be a touch n' go situation. Thank You Rusty!

Don't leave Salvias sitting in water for more than a few hours. Their roots need air. also, don't plant them in a low spot that collects water.

Why do you have salvias sitting in water. They want drainage. They like to have a periodic dry out. They do not like to have their feet in water. My black and blue went through my Z8 winter as a small plant and it has just now poked its head out. I planted it in mid October and it got to 24 in November. It is growing. My cuttings from 8 different salvias are outside and it has dipped to upper 40's. They are taking it just fine.. Sitting in water is not good. Glad your reglas are looking good. They are tough plants. Good luck on getting them through your Z6 winter. Are you going to bring it in?

When I opened them I put them in a small pail of water. The soiless mixture washed out. That is possibly why they were turning black when I set them out in the sun. I soak them and put them under a tree for shade. It's not raining here, so it will be a while before I can plant them. I plant with the rain to save water. (I'm getting nervous for this has been a very dry spring). I hope we are not in for a drought? Thank You Wantonamara.

Don't flush the toilet several times, and/or water them with dish water but plant them soon. You will kill them with your holding tactics.

The only time I soak potted plants in water is when the pot has gotten completely dry, and the root ball has shrunk from the sides of the pot, making remoistening difficult. As soon as the root ball has regained its width, out of the pan it comes, to drain off excess water. You can lose a bunch of older leaves on a plant doing this, even if you are careful.

The plant has been shocked, but usually recovers if you catch the dryness soon enough.