That'll work for Lady In Red, it's a plant in a big hurry. My plants started in March were in bloom around the beginning of June, and heavily by mid June. This should be treated as an annual.

Black & Blue is a cultivar of Salvia Guarantica so you need a cutting or a plant to start from. It might make it through your winters if you have well drained soil on the sandy side. Folks overwinter cuttings all time of this one indoors, because north of zone 8 you can't be certain it will be back. Overwintered indoors plants can be blooming when they are set out in May. Those plants often suffer some set backs after transplant, so you'd be safer thinking early July with heavy blooming not beginning until mid to late in the same month.

I am in the southern end of zone 6 and my Lady in Red reseeds itself abundantly! I had enough this year to share with many many other gardeners. It has started blooming a couple of weeks ago and I am still finding seedlings in as little as half and inch of soil on the asphalt. I think it is an incredibly hardy salvia. The B&B is new to my garden this year so I will probably try taking some of it inside for the winter.
spiderwoman

By B&B I a prennial here. My lady in red has seeds this summer so I am looking forward to little ladies next spring. I have saved some seed to start early next year.

Mimidi I am encouraged to hear that B & B is a perennial in your zone. I have asked people in the nursery here if it is perennial in our zone and no one here can give me a straight answer.

I planted two last year and both came back this spring. They only salvia that did not come back was lady in red. I didn't know it was a annual. I do now.

I'm growing Lady in Red this year for the first time. I got my seeds from T's Seeds & Things, over the Internet. It's a one-woman operation and she's very nice to deal with. Most of her seeds are only $1.00 per packet. Seed quantities are not large, but that works well for me...I rarely want 100 or more of anything! I'll see about harvesting some of my own seeds this fall. I'll also take some cuttings of Black and Blue to bring in over the winter. I rather expect my B&B will overwinter outdoors as well.

Patrick

Thanks all for the great information. I guess I'll be sure to get some lady in red seeds over the winter. Really looking to add to hummer friendly plants in my yard!

To those of you who over-winter B&B inside...How do you go about doing that? Just pot it and put it in a window? Thanks.

Pot it and put it in a window works just fine. Give an occasional watering and you can expect a healthy if leggy plant. I do have one suggestion based on my own experiences.

Tender, just brought outdoors B&B often suffers damage from sun and wind. I've always found it tempting to put out four foot tall plants in May and nearly every year they are damaged. I'm thinking of cutting mine back in early April to about 6 inches hoping for a strongly resprouting plant at May planting time. Right now in my garden the indoor wintered plants have still not completely recovered from their May mawling, while those that overwintered in the ground are much healthier and full of flowers.

Quick comment on overwintered B&B's indoors. Due to the dry indoor air they are susceptible to white fly infestation. If they are in bright enough light they can grow and bloom inside. Mine grew to nearly 5 ft. last winter and I did end up cutting it back in March. I put it out on a covered porch first and then outside in semi shade and gradually moved it to full sun. I have put all but one in the ground for this year as unless you have a room with lots of space and light it is a pain to overwinter. You can grow new plants from seed BUT they do not always come true from seed. Last year I had 4 babies and only 2 came true from seed.

Penny