I grow salvia leucantha in Zone 7 North Alabama, Decatur, to be exact. For what they are worth, a few pine trees around the garden afford the only winter protection these get.

If you mulch deeply through a particularly cold winter, it should come back from the roots. It's pretty hardy.

My experience with Salvia leucantha in my zone 7a garden is that it sometimes survives our winters and sometimes doesn't. It really depends on the type of winter we have. I had one for three years and then one spring we had an extremely warm spell followed by an extremely cold spell around Easter and the plant did not return.

Another thing that some say dooms this plant is cutting it back in the late fall/early winter and water getting down its stems and it rotting. Not really sure if that is the case since the one that survived several winters here was typically hit with ice and had stems crack off and open stems sitting exposed all three winters and it survived until the last year when we had the weird spring weather.

So helpful! Thanks all! Sounds like it could do OK. I also read a little more last night and saw that people recommended not cutting it back in the fall, so I'll try that (and hope it holds onto its stems, but won't worry too much if it doesn't). :)

I'm so excited about this in my garden. I hope I can get at least one of these cuttings to make it.

Another factor to consider in salvia hardiness is the amount of wet your garden gets and how good its drainage is. If it's extremely wet, and especially if your drainage is not very good, it will be less likely to return. No matter. They are very easy to start from cuttings.

I usually take my cuttings in September, stick them in pots of potting soil, and put them in the shade outside. By the time I bring them in in early November, they're rooted. Doing it inside shouldn't be too tough. I'd keep them in a well heated part of the house and do not cover them with plastic. Keep the soil around them consistently moist though. As long as the leaves are green and firm (or even the stem) you are on the right track.

Thanks Donna! I found a video of a guy talking about rooting it, and he said about the same things - not covering with plastic and keeping the soil moist. I'm glad you (and he) said that, because I had them enclosed in a gallon Ziploc baggie! They're still in the baggie, planted in plastic cups with holes punched in the bottom.