Hi Sharon, I'm sure they will produce seed but I don't know whether they will come true. However, they most certainly will perennialize in your zone. I lived in Boston (zone6b) and had them come up after having a cold, wet winter. You can also dig up the roots which look like small dahlia tubers and overwinter them as you would dahlias... Michael

I live in Alabama, I started out with a pot of the black and blue salvia about eight years ago and planted it. The hummingbirds loved it, so I bought it again the next year, then realized some leaves in the bed where the salvia had been planted the previous year were up and they looked a lot like leaves of the plant I had bought. Good reason, it was black and blue salvia. (I gave the other pot to a good friend). It is a true perennial here and has come up every year since the initial purchase.I took this picture this morning. I don't think it grows to this size everywhere, but it will likely be up to 3 to 5 feet tall by summer's end here and will have bloomed until frost or later. It shares this bed with Navajo Salvia and Hot Lips salvia, (Not so tall, but hold their own) but Black and Blue is what the hummers really love. Mine is in full sun. I occasionally pull out some from the edges to keep it from overflowing its place, but it is very easy to pull up...no problem. Enjoy your new plant. kay

Deer eat Salvia flowers. They don't like the leaves but will strip a plant of all flowers and buds. But that doesn't really sound like the problem that Mary is having. Might be your issue though Karen.

I've taken about 30 cuttings, and tried several different ways to get them to root. Some in tap water, some in distilled water, some in weak tea. Also used potting soil, rooting hormone, jiffy pellets, bottom heat, humidity domes, warm kitchen, cool basement, misting, etc. Then I tried different variations of the above. Pretty anal, huh? I have 1 cutting left alive - the one I put in an old Yoplait container in plain tap water with no bottom heat and no humidity dome! You made a really interesting comment Gawdinfever... it struck me that the only common demoninator I can come up with is that all the cuttings were taken off of weak winter growth, with the nodes spaced out about 5" apart. Do you think this could be part of my problem?