Christie; I've actually had pretty good luck winter sowing salvias. Last year someone had sent me some red S. guaranitica, but didn't germinate. I tried them again this (thank goodness I didn't sow them all) and they germinated. They look almost like FF with lighter foliage. I never investigate HOW they should be sown, but I'm pretty consistent with covering the seeds with a light dusting of soil. I should've mentioned that sometimes my camera can't take a good picture of red flowers; these were the best shots I'd ever gotten. Sometimes they come out a bit pink as well. I can forget about taking close ups of reds; they generally blur, or the color just radiates, giving me a lousy picture. Once in a while though I do get lucky. Here's the salvias I had winter sown with success: S. coccinea, "Forest Fire" - two years in a row. But, it didn't reseed last year :( S. farinacea - "Victoria", "Wedgewood Blend", & Mealy Blue Sage (tall & pretty). S. nemerosa, "Caradonna", although I don't remember where it is - may have died. S. x.superba - "Blue Queen" & "Rose Queen" S. x.sylvestris - "May Night" (although it looks more like Purple Loosestrife!!!) Salvia ? - "Violet Blue" Salvia "Yvonnes" - spectacular!!! The two that didn't make it: S. lyrata S. farinacea, "Blue Bedder" They were all winter sown between December and April, but my "Forest Fire" was sown very late, on April 30th, as was the red guaranitica. I'm harvesting seeds from both right now (yippeee!), although I haven't really noticed if I had gotten alot or not.

Boo hoo - one of my hummer feeders fell in the wind last week and smashed all to pieces. It was the one my daughter and GD got for me for Mother's Day. Nothing but plastic from now on..... Dawn, thanks for the Orange Extract info - never heard of that either....even on the Hummingbird Forum. Wonder if I could use Lemon or Almond????? Nah, probably not. Those are just the ones I have on hand, well, other than Vanilla. Most of the extracts contain alcohol, though. Does that hurt the hummers? I usually get the juvenile Ruby Throats later in the year. They haven't yet developed their "ruby throats". Never had the black-chinned, but aren't they mostly in Western Oklahoma? Lantana foliage does have a somewhat distasteful smell, but the butterflies love it. Maybe it's the smell that attracts them in the first place????? I have 'Miss Huff' and she is one hardy, fast growing, BIG lantana. Has the pink, peach, yellow flowers. I can root some easily if anyone wants a start. Other recommended nectar plants that my butterflies love is: Spring - Amsonias Dandelions White clover blooms Phlomis tuberosa Summer - Lantana Milkweed (curassavica) Eupatorium (Joe Pye Weed) Tithonias Lavendar Black & Blue Salvia (gorgeous blooms) Campanulas Ladybells (adenophora) Zinnias (flat-tops or singles make better landing pads for them, but they will use doubles) V. bonariensis (as Dawn said) Fruit Plates will attract Red Admirals, Hackberry and Tawny Emperors, Painted Ladies, Mourning Cloaks (in fall now; they aestivate during summer), and Question Marks. I got a suet feeder and just put rotting, black bananas in it (open them up so they can get to the fruit inside), and hang them up. You will definitely get butterflies that prefer to nectar on spoiled fruit (you can also use oranges, watermelons, peaches, etc.), animal scat, and tree sap. Hanging them up high (not in a tree) also discourages the possums from eating the fruit overnight that I leave out in a plate. I give them a banana every now and then. But, the feeder attracts a lot of butterflies during different times of day. I even had a Nessus sphinx on the feeder the other day. They are gorgeous. The Cloudless Sulphur loves the white cypress vines, pink & white salvia (Texas sage, I believe), and Hibiscus coccinus. Daturas and moonflower vine will attract the sphinx moths at dusk and during the night. I've probably said too much, but I have a butterfly garden, so everyone kind of "tolerates" my butterfly speeches! LOL! Susan

Solved the mystery. I found the old ziplock bag( that I had clearly marked with the name) in my basement while cleaning my garden spot to start my seeds. It's Salvia Coccinea-Lady in Red. It is such a lovely midsize Salvia that really demands attention. I had planted it in a round planting bed in my front yard and every time people walked by they would stop and admire it because it also attracks a lot of different bees. It bloomed up till frost killed it. I collected a box full of dried flowers thru the summer which I now have to clean up and offer. Not sure when that will happen but hopefully soon.

The same rose is sold under two names -- 'Nigrette' and 'Louis XIV'. I got mine from Rogue valley Roses. You'll find other nurseries carrying 'Louis XIV'. Search both names on HelpMeFind and you'll see where to find them. :-) ~Christopher