I bought one at the nursery, haven't started any from seed. Actually, mine doesn't seem to have any seeds that are fertile. I have never had any seedlings, though it is one I don't deadhead. Sorry, I can't remember the name of the variety, but it has a lovely, rich blue cast to the foliage. It often looks frosted on the leaf tips if the light is right. Very striking near the green plants. I grow mine in a bed that gets good sun after 12P, fairly good soil, with extra watering of all the plants when it gets dry too long. Ground is a bit on the low side of the driveway for drainage, but not moist soil. Plant seems happy, doesn't multiply, but always is there, has nice appearance each year. It is in with bulbs and other perennials that come and go all season. That garden always has a good deep layer of oak leaves each winter, because of fence behind. I plan to check and find another this year. I only got one, in case it was a rampant spreader. I am leery of thistle type plants here on the farm anyway. Sure don't need more pest thistles growing! In this case, I will keep it and add more, since there has been no invasion from the seeds or roots. I do like it's looks and well behaved manner in this garden spot.

I believe she was the executive secretary of AHS for a number of years. Her husband, Luke Senior, Jr. served as President of AHS. He has a flower named in his honor too. Ed

I've had good experience ordering hummingbird plants from Plant Delights although I buy salvias from Colonial Creek Farm. I'm basically in the same geographic zone as you. The small salvias I planted in spring grew robust, three feet tall and three feet wide. I'm trying to have them stay in the ground this winter hoping they will survive under mulch, sheltered by a fence. I do not have unheated space to overwinter. If they don't survive the winter I will try grow lights next year. I sure hope we don't have a harsh winter.

I have read and enjoyed "The Hot Zone"... I used to work for many years in public health so was/am interested in all that stuff. Another book you might like is called "The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance" by Laurie Garrett. This is a bit dry, but mostly interesting. She also wrote a follow up book called "Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health", but I haven't actually read that one so don't know how it is to read. Here is a list of disease book titles that I have colleced (with help from Fridag here at RP): * Bathsheba's Breast: Women, Cancer and History - James S. Olson * The Colony: The Harrowing Story of the Exiles of Molka'i - John Tayman * The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - Steven Johnson * Limeys: The Conquest of Scurvy - David I. Harvie * The Malaria Capers: more Tales of Parasites and People, Research and Reality - Robert Desowitz * Man and Microbes: Disease and Plagues in History and Modern Times - Arno Karlen * Napolean's Glands and Other Ventures in Biohistory - Arno Karlen * The Plague and I - Betty McDonald (about her bout of TB in the 1930's) * Plague and Peoples = William H McNeill * Pox: Genius, Madness and the Mysteries of Syphilis - Deborah Hayden * Purple Secret: Genes, "Madness", and the Royal Houses of Europe - John Rohl * Quinine: Malaria and the Quest for a Cure That Changed the World - Fiammetta Rocco * Rough Medicine: Surgeons at Sea in the age of the Sail - Joan Druett * Sex, Sin and Science: A History of Syphilis in America - John Parascondola * The Speckled Monster: A historial tale of Battling Smallpox - Jennifer Lee Carrell * The Strange Case of the Broad Street Pump: John Snow and Mystery of Cholera - Sandra Hempl * Who Gave Pinta to the Santa Maria? - Robert S Desowitz * Blood and Guts: A Short History of Medicine - Roy Porter Hope that helps!