I'm not finding a lot of info on the Tropicolor series since it's new but what I came across said zone 7. I'm in 6b and zone 7 plants mostly survive for me. Also came across an instagram post that says "Developed from rare and exotic Salvia species never before used in breeding". That's pretty exciting. : ) Do you want to share your source?

I saved seeds from a couple not quite hardy for me salvias and s. greggii 'Cold Hardy Pink". I have plenty of space (not actually garden space yet - just lawn) so I'll just plant a bunch and see what survives.

I made a note several months ago that I wanted 'Elk Magenta' but I can't remember why I wanted it. lol

That's pretty exciting. : )

You are kind 'Christie'....only an avid gardener like yourself can appreciate finding a new introduction plant :).

Do you want to share your source?

I reached out to Middleton Nurseries in England and they referred me to the company with the world wide license for this plant and in turn they pointed me to Plant Haven International in the States! And twice I was told that it wouldn't be till 2027 that I would see this plant retail in Canada.

But to make a too long story a bit shorter, a nearby small specialized nursery showed this plant in one of their weekly FB videos! I have no idea how they secured this plant so far ahead of "schedule".

'Elk Magenta' but I can't remember why I wanted it. lol

Hilarious 'Christie'. But given that you "made a note" means you had a good reason to have it this season!

Why, "Mystic Spires", of course! Cuttings are alive and well in the windowsill as I type this.

IDK about other ones yet, but probably a "Black and Blue" or something similar in one of the beds.

I started building my current garden in April 2025. I've added a lot of plants since then but somehow failed to add any salvias other than culinary sage and rosemary.

During our daily neighborhood dog/plant walks last autumn, as other plants gradually transitioned to winter, we started to notice splashes of purple, blue and red where we had not noticed them before....tender salvias! To the delight of both hummingbirds and humans, they continued to bloom throughout December as we didn't get any real frost until January.

I'll definitely be remedying the dreadful lack of salvia in my garden, starting with blues and purples, probably Amistad, but I grew a lot of the S. microphylla/x jamensis types in my last garden and I miss them. 'Radio Red' was the best performer for me and I'll plant it again if I can find it.

^^^ rouge -- Wow! I had no idea that there are so many varieties of salvia. (I want, I want!!). It's so sad that more aren't offered here in the US. Thanks for enabling going down the rabbit hole with that link. I'm going to sulk for a while now...

It's so sad that more aren't offered here in the US

'roxanna', I would bet you in the US would have lots of choice for all plant material. Just go down that "rabbit hole"...make us proud! :)

Hey @gdinieontarioz5 are you hoping your 'Black and Blue' has survived the winter in situ?

@rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a Hoping is different from expecting… I certainly hope so, but I do not expect any of them to have survived. I was planning to cover them with a big pile of pine needles, my neighbour donated a big garden waste bagful, but the early snow in November threw me off, and the window of opportunity just disappeared on me. I must say, I still love the colour, but another blue that somehow was included in my ’Black and Blue’ tray, did far better as a plant. I should still have the tag somewhere. ’Blue Slippers’ or something? The colour was not as vivid, but it had more impact. I am sad that the golden pineapple sage is also getting hard to find here. Jade Gardens in Oakville had a few, same place that had the ’Black and Blue’. The golden foliage is nice, and I love the very late fiery red flower spikes.

Oh yea I forgot to mention I always grow pineapple sage. It rarely flowers for me, and if it does it's so late in the season that it doesn't matter. I grow it because it's an attractive plant and gives a nice boost to fruit salads (particularly anything with mango).

I've never seen golden pineapple sage. I'll have to keep a lookout for it. The regular pineapple sage is always in the herb section around here.

@porkchop_z5b_MI, I too love PSage. I grew it several years back not realizing how late it would take to flower. And by chance that year frost was delayed and it did....so pretty.

Here is it in late October of some year:

(I have no room anymore to accomodate such a large sage :( )

@porkchop_z5b_MI I don’t think it has ever not flowered for me. It usually starts around the beginning of October, and lasts till the first frost. Here it is on October 9, 2023.

This is October 22

and here November 14.

This year we had an early winter, so it did not last as long as in 2023, but I still got about a month. You must have an earlier first frost then, I guess.

@rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a) It does get huge, I cannot accomodate it every year.

@gdinieontarioz5 that last picture you posted is gorgeous. Is that a Japanese Maple or...?

@rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a) Yes, that is ‘Fireglow’. I now have a rose in that spot, so the combination isn’t as striking any more.

What happened to "Fireglow"? :(

@rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a) Nothing. At least I hope so. I meant the spot where the salvia was. Last year I had it on the other side of the path, farther away from the maple. I hope ‘Fireglow’ can take this winter weather…

Your "Fireglow" will be just fine as it looks very established and so I bet it has already seen winter weather like we have experienced this season.

I think so too, but this winter was brutal. I planted it in 2014 I think.

As I recall 2015 was the last big deep freeze in Ontario and your Fireglow would have been young and tender and it survived just fine. I guarantee it will be good!

@rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a) I capitulate, I will believe you. But i.f. you are wrong, I will publicly shame you here 🤪!

If by the slightest of chances it doesnt survive :( I will not be posting as I will have gone into hiding ;).

'Amistad' is the only tender salvia that's in my plans, for a container at the front door. I'm planting a couple plants of Salvia uliginosa, but it's at least theoretically hardy here now that we've been promoted to zone 6a.

I finally joined HPSO, the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon. Last week we attended 'Plant Nerd Night' in Lake Oswego. Some really great vendors were hawking their expertly curated offerings. I picked up Salvia uliginosa (Bog Sage) from south America and Salvia elegans (Pineapple Sage).

I have 2 red salvias,and one lavendar one.the lavendar one was supposed to be a "Coral Nymph salvia,i had had one many years ago and lost it,then last year i went on the hunt for it again.I had gotten the original coral nymph from my sister in N.Y.state,but she no longer had it either,So i found this guy in Florida that said he had it,so i ordered seeds for both myself and my sister.The first several that popped up i thought was weeds so discarded them,but they returned and i decided to let them grow,and low and behold it was salvia,but it wasn't the coral nymp,rather it is a light lavendar,it's pretty so i kept it and it is still flowering.My sister said hers never even came up.

I suppose they could have been seeds from Coral Nymph that crossed with something else. Sounds like a keeper. Maybe you can collect some seeds from it.

Salvia elegans hides in the herb section at garden centers here instead of with the flowers. S. elegans 'Honey Melon' is supposed to be earlier and longer blooming than other elegans but I haven't seen that one. It's tempting to order one if I could just get better at wintering over tender perennials in zone 6. I do have a few tender salvias coming back that I covered with leaves and plastic. Others that are no-shows so far though.

"Salvia elegans hides in the herb section at garden centers here instead of with the flowers."

Same here -- look in the herb section. It grows pretty fast, so don't be too concerned with it be of smaller size.