I grew a little patch of it at 45 degrees latitude. It grew quite vigorously but never flowered at all and ended up succumbing to frost in early october. I'm growing it again but strictly for the copious green shoots. It works well in pesto mixed with basil. It's a kind of sage plant. The nice thing about it being a short day plant is that it just grows and grows and takes the heat without getting bitter or flowering. Just chop the top 2 nodes of fresh shoots and it will put out side shoots. The seeds from the analyses I have seen are one of the best food sources of calcium, so I would imagine the greens are also calcium rich.

'Celeste' and 'Texas Everbearing' are supposed to be good for humid conditions. Your local nurseries should be aware enough to supply the better figs for humid conditions. Humid summers here too, and these two varieties are most commonly available. Wet/humid weather conditions especially an issue this year here!

Ladyslppr is right in her recommendations. I wish to add the following: The dark coloration you are experiencing is due to loss of root because the plant roots are being kept just too damp. The miracle gro soil mix is NOT the best for Salvias. Salvias require fast draining highly aerable soil mixes and are probably best in soil mixes that are not enriched by fertilizer additives. For a mix use either mix for Cactus plants-though avoid any such mix if it has peat moss or sphagnum in it. Your best bet is to mix your own. Try the following: 2 parts river sand 1 part granitic gravel 2 parts acid loving plants soil mix and 1 part either hard wood leaves such as pin oak or fine grade bark (such as ground cover bark) What is important is that the plant should be underpotted. Stuff the roots into a pot that is only a little larger than the existing root ball-but shake off any of the old soil you can but do not disturb the roots physically. Pour in the new mix dry. water. add more dry as it will settle and water again and repeat until the soil level is at the base of the plant's stem(s) Put it outside with 50% light and as long an exposure as possible (4 to 6 hours). Salvisas enjoy the sun and the heat. Do NOT water regularly. but only when the pot feels much lighter even though the plant does not appear to be slightly wilted. Sometimes I wait until the growing stem start to droop a bit before watering. Currently I grow Salvia apiana in a pot. Can supply an image if you wish to see it. Here is a link that might be useful: Caifornia salvias

Try S. gesnerfolia/fulgens, S. fallax, S. holwayi, S. polystachya, S. rubignosa for something different and probably very good in your climate, if you can find them. The first three are pretty reliable late fall / winter bloomers here in Austin, and the last two are more borderline here (depending on the weather), but might work for you there. I think many of the European sages can work for you if you plant them in gravelly soil. They make nice winter plants with very early spring bloom. In fact, they are among the most reliable winter interest plants I grow in Austin, and I am closer to your climate and soil than other parts of town here. The problem is that some of them will act as annuals in our climates, dying in the summer. Try S. microphylla "Hot Lips". I agree that the greggii's are probably going to be a problem there, as they are over-rated here and I would think the problem with high humidity in the summer in Houston would only make them perform worse. Good Luck and keep us posted.