I can't guarantee that it'll overwinter in your area, Mary, but it does here. It's one of the few salvias that blooms continually - S. guaranitica is the other - and it's popular with both hummers and butterflies, especially sulphurs. It's also been very vigorous here, having gotten BIG this year - I may trim it next year.
I've planted lots of salvias, including other S. microphyllas, that hardly bloom, so this is a good one! And I love the variety of the flowers!
Have you tried the salvia forum?
People who post on the Network54 Hummingbird Forum grow a lot of salvia. Somebody in your zone can probably give you a good answer.
Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: Hummingbird Forum

I planted this for the first time this year - it's gotten huge, but I haven't seen a whole lot of interest in it except by an occasional bee.

~Laura

It is also a matter of water, as it has been unreliable here in zone 8/9 because of our wet winters (rots the roots).

Keeping it in a pot would certainly give you more flexibility.

Larry,

Yes, I agree the pot is the best solution and the potted one will be going into the greenhouse for the winter.

I have a section of raised bed where I would like to try it if I felt it had a chance to survive the winter temps. I think there's enough drainage there that winter water wouldn't be a problem.

Thank you for mentioning the drainage issue as it's something we sometimes forget to consider.

Mary

Most salvias won't live in the wet winter soils here, also, so mine is growing in a raised bed in my garden, as are the S. guaraniticas. Fast drainage is a must for most salvias.
Sherry

I am west of DFW & have had a lot of success with this plant overwintering here! I even have it in a bed that doesn't have great drainage & it has survived for 2 winters so far. I am planning to move it to a new bed I'm making because it hasn't gotten enough sun to bloom well. They are also easy to start new plants from stem cuttings. Mine gets leggy so I just cut off the branches, put the ends in rooting hormone & stick them into pots that are watered by my irrigation. They usually take root easily if you want additional plants for your yard!

I have had a terrible time with some plants here because of our alkaline well water. I also have had a terrible time with Rue surviving...I think it must be the heat here! I have new plants in a raised bed hoping it would survive but half are dead now!

Hope this helps! I also have Blue/Black Salvia & it is a hummer fav here, also. I grow 'Lady in Red' Salvia that I've never had to replant because it reseeds so well. The sulphurs & hummers are on it constantly!
Lila

I think 'Lady in Red' is a type of S. coccinea, Lila - my S. coccinea (in raised beds) has also reseeded prolifically, so I didn't have to buy any plants this spring, just potted up the seedlings and set them out where I wanted them. I also have S. regla planted in a semi-shady spot in a raised bed. It only blooms once a year, in late fall, but I keep it, because the sulphurs and hummers absolutely go crazy over the big flowers.
I can't grow S. greggii even in my raised beds. They always die a slow death.
Hot Lips, S. guaranitica, S. regla and S. coccinea are winners for me.
Sherry

I'm trying a S. greggii this year in a raised bed, as the local nurseryman told me it was winter hardy here. The tag says Autumn Sage - Raspberry (Salvia greggii). We shall see how it does ..:-) The little hummers really adore it so I do hope it comes back.

Thanks to all and based on everyone's input, I'm going to try a 'hot lips' in my raised bed. Will let you all know next year how it fared.

Sherry, the S. coccinea reseeds profusely for me, too. I'm still pulling up little seedlings. I overwintered one pot in the greenhouse last year thinking the hummers would have an early blooming plant waiting but based on this years observations, the hummers don't really show up at my house until sometime in June. I faithfully put out, washed and refilled regularly, feeders, too, from early spring but nary a hummer did I see until sometime in June. Maybe that's when we're on their travel schedule. By mid June, the fast growing seedlings of S. coccinea are up and blooming so don't think I'll overwinter any this coming winter.

Mary

I grow S. microphylla x 'Hot Lips', Salvia greggii "Cherry Queen", Salvia coccinea 'Lady in Red", Salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue", and S. darcyi. For me, the Hot Lips, Cherry Queen, and Black & Blue are perennial. This is the first year for S. darcyi but it is supposed to be hardy to zone 7.

MissSherry, the S. darcyi just started blooming, and those blooms are big and really red! It is gorgeous against that kind of silvery green foliage on the leaves. I have it in partial shade and it is doing fine so far. It is supposed to bloom the heaviest in the fall.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Salvia darcyi

Susan,

Did you start your Salvia darcyi by seed or did you purchase a plant? It does have a wonderful deep red color.

Mary

I just LOVE S. darcyi, Susan, but I've tried to grow it twice, and it died a slow death in raised beds in my garden, rarely ever blooming. I even ordered (and paid a lot of money for) a S. darcyi hybrid from Plant Delights last year, and it died, too.
If I can get a plant for a reasonable price, I may try again. If anybody has seeds they want to share, I haven't tried starting a plant that way - maybe direct sowing would work?
Sherry

I see places/people that sell S. darcyi seeds, but I got a plant from Bustani Plant Farm. I'm very high on their plants, and they are as reasonable as you will find. I think Rich Dufresne, A World of Salvias, has 3.5" pots for $5. He is very prominent in the Salvia industry and appears frequently on the Salvia Forum here. If you have questions, there are a ton of knowledgeable people there. I kind of have to discount the Californians - sorry if I offend anyone - because our growing conditions are so different from them, even tho they are the native Salvia capital of the US.

S. darcyi has some of the biggest flowers of any of the Salvias, and they are a bright, bright red. Supposedly hardy to our zone, it will be tested this winter.

I have never been really happy with anything from Plant Delights. I know, I know, lots of people love them, etc. But Bustani has given me much better plants that survive better as well.

You almost have to be there at exactly the right time to collect Salvia seeds. I will try to save some for you.

I have been trying to grow S. subrotunda from seed, without success, for 2 years now. I get mine from Sample Seed Shop for $2 a packet.

The guy in Arkansas usually has a lot of Salvias for sale as well, and fairly well priced, altho he has gone up a lot in the last 2 years. Dogwooderitternet?

There is also a lady at taste.ecrater.com that sells a number of Salvia seeds, but her seeds are expensive.

Specialty Perennials also sells a number of Salvia seeds, but not S. darcyi. They do, however, have S. penstemonoides, which I would really like to have, too.

But, check out Rich's site. It is fun to go thru his list if nothing else.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: A World of Salvias

I've ordered plants from Richard Dufresne, Susuan, and his plants are SO small. I love Bustani's, so I'll probably just order one from them this fall.
Sherry

Rich's plants are small, I agree. But, Salvias usually grow so quickly into massive plants, that it probably wouldn't be any time at all before you have a larger plant. I have not ordered from him before, but that has just been my experience with the Salvias I have planted. The S. darcyi I got from Bustani wasn't overly large by any means, but once planted in the ground, it grew very fast. My plant is now about 2' tall and about 2.5' wide. The foliage is very attractive, too. I agree with you on Bustani. They send very nice plants. The S. darcyi is priced at $7, which is very good, especially compared to Plant Delights $12 plants.

Susan

My neighbor purchases Salvia darcyi from Bustani, and I collected some seed from her plants. I was able to grow a couple of nice plants from the seed, and they are in my raised bed now. I will be curious to see if they come back next spring. The Hummingbirds are nuts for it.~~Angie