I have grown Clary Sage which is lovely, but smells pretty rank, even when not bruised. Put it downwind . . .
It has a rosette of lovely large silvery felted leaves the first year and light pinkish/bluish flowers with a silvery cast the second year.

Huge fan of tender perennial Salvia. . .it all started about a dozen years ago,
when a nearby nursery decided to pot up (1 gal.) and grow-on in their greenhouses for the summer, about a hundred Salvia leucantha, which they didn't put out for sale until early September. Can you imagine the impact of
walking into a nursery with a hundred, 5-foot tall, flamboyantly flowering, soft
purple velvet Salvia leucantha, competing (no, overwhelming!) the usual Fall chrysanthemums and flowering kale ?!!! I was hooked for life. . .

Each year, I try to experiment with a different new one, although the Salvia
leucantha and some variety of Salvia guaranitica have become yaerly staples.
This year, I'm trying Salvia elegans 'Golden Delicious', , ,this is the fairly common pineapple sage, with bright red flowers late in the season, BUT the
foliage is an electric yellow ! When I saw it in bloom at Chanticleer last year,
it just had to become part of my collection -and no one's going to miss it
'cause it's center stage in my streetside garden. . .

Can anyone recommend other tender Salvias they liked? And has anyone
grown Salvia leucantha 'Santa Barbara', a shorter version which turns into a
massive 4-foot wide annual shrub ?

DtD: if for some reason your nursery doesn't deliver on their promise, just let me know - I picked up several extra seedlings (because everyone who sees
it, wants it!) and I could deliver it to you at the Dartmouth, MA Open Days on
July 17th, which I suspect you'll be attending.

Carl

Here is a link that might be useful: Salvia leucantha

I grow Black & Blue every year for the hummers and butterflies. This year, I added Spanish Dancer to the mix....I am weak for the black stems. I also bought the electric S. patens Patio Deep Blue. It is kind of out of place, being so bright, but I couldn't resist.

I haven't tried Sta Barbara, because I really like the tall ones - the bigger the better, at least with this salvia.

One odd thing about it is that it makes me happy to live in the NE - in its native area and places with similar climates, it's so ubiquitous (and so ratty-looking, mostly) that it's hardly worth growing there. I'm sure there are lots of exceptions, but seeing it struggling in front of a thousand convenience stores and gas stations in southern California, I don't think I could bear to have it in a garden if I lived there.

NHBabs, I think I fell victim to common name confusion; Clary Sage is generally used for S. sclarea, only occasionally for S. viridis. This one doesn't seem to have that foliage smell, although I have a few hardy sages that DO reek - close enough to the smell of cat urine that they probably deter voles.

Must have some GW plant telepathy happening here. I am a big fan of tender perennial Salvia's, I tend to plant for late summer early fall as that is when we spend most of our time enjoying our gardens. The garden viewed from my patio is full of all the weeds...Joe Pye, New York Iron, and of course salvia's.

If you are a Salvia nut I would suggest you run not walk to the book store and pick up "The New Book of Salvias Sages for every garden" by Betsy Clebsch which is chock full of info (including some great pairing suggestions) and photos that are hard to find elsewhere.

Yesterday after being held captive indoors for a good part of the day in Boston I decided I was deserving of a reward and headed off to Russles nursery of GW fame where I picked up;
Salvia greggii (one of my favorites) 'Plum Wine' and 'Cherry Queen'
Salvia involucrata bethelii described as Rosebud Salvia produces deep rose tubular blossoms on 2' spikes in August-October 5'.
Salvia guaranitica 'Argentine Skies' (have grown before) 4' nice pale blue flowers.
Salvia guaranitica 'blue' which I am hoping is probably 'Black & Blue'
Salvia subrotunda Also known as "hummingbird Salvia" 3-4'

Nan Russles did have Salvia leucantha but to be honest it looked like it was in a state of frozen animation I would wait. If it makes you feel any better my local nurseries don't have it out yet either.

Carl Quoted from book mentioned above;
In early 1999, a compact form of Salvia leucantha came to the attention of San Marcos Growers. Kathy Ann Brown had found it in her Santa Barbara garden, and it now has the cultivar name, 'Santa Barbara'. It has been grown in many locations and although it resembles Salvia leucantha 'Midnight' in all other aspects, it is a more compact plant. A mature two year plant (hardy to 25 degrees) is 2.5 tall and 4' wide.

My memory has gotten so bad that I will have to go outside and check all the old labels to jog my memory for further review.

I confess I am headed to my local nurseries this weekend and more Salvias are on the list but I plan on bringing my book along with me.

That's quite a list, Kt! I do like Salvia greggii a lot, and it often overwinters here; I had to google S. involucrata bethelii - it looks fantastic, the flower color is wonderful.

I failed to mention that pineapple sage - I put mine in a bright blue pot, which could be a design tragedy, we'll see how it fits with all the terra cotta pots around the back door.

I also have a half dozen perennial salvias, including culinary sage and the not-quite-reliably hardy S. berggarten, which winters in the unheated garage in a big clay pot. And my actual, all time favorite in terms of petabiliity, S. argentea, silver sage, for the huge felted leaves that look like they're from the animal kingdom.

The current issue of Fine Gardening has an interesting one, really tall ... I'll have to go find it.

"Clary Sage is generally used for S. sclarea" DD - you are right - that sounds familiar.

I always get some sages for my pots. I grow Salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue' every year. It was love at first sight about 4 or 5 years ago, and I can't imagine summer without it. I may try it in the ground this year. It has reseeded for the last two years which has been kind of nice, and maybe it will do so in the garden. I know it can be a pest elsewhere, but since it isn't winter hardy here, I don't think that it will be a problem.

Last year I found a medium blue sage at the UNH greenhouse sale, but it wasn't labeled as to kind. I've also had Salvia elegans which I got at a plant swap two years ago and then reseeded last year. I'll have to see if it comes back again.

I love the flowers of all the sages I have grown, and I also love the hummers and insects that are drawn to them.

Wow you do learn something new at NE GW! I had never thought much about Salvias and how many varieties there could be out there. Loved looking at the photos of all the suggestions here. I did get a Salvia 'Coral Nymph' at the Gore Place Plant Sale a few years ago and did like its shell pink flowers.

BTW Gore Place Plant sale has its last days this Saturday. I don't know what is left but if you are close by it may be worth a look.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gore Place Plant Sale - Last Day 5/29

I have to say that I too am smitten! I first got guarantica black and blue for the hummers, but they seem fairly oblivious to it, much preferring the monarda and the trumpet vine (and the red feeders). So I get it every year for myself, and also s.greggii -- love that color. I keep them in pots on the deck, pairing the dark salvias with bright bright marigolds and lots of pale weaving petunias in pale yellow or very very pale pink. The contrast with all the green leaves keeps me coming back for more. I tried overwintering them in the basement one year, but no go. I got s. coral nymph seeds one year, but never got around to planting them. I too love the black and stems. COOL!
lucia