Up here there is no way to tell about the herbaceous salvias, for some we don't know until May.

The following are still holding leaves: the unknown microphylla is perfect as always; microphylla neurepia and its seedlings; some type of greggii Stampede; Navajo Bright Red; microphylla Hot Lips; Raspberry Delight; greggii Lipstick; greggii White; greggii Wild Thing; microphylla 18th of March; greggii White Witch; X microphylla Ark Rd 3; X microphylla Clay Sutton; Cherry Queen; Plum Wine; X microphylla Ark Rd Pink; and an unknow dark reddish purple on that came over the fence. There are also various unnamed seedlings along the row with green leaves.
Died back to the ground: California Sunset,greggii Big Pink, microphylla Orange Door, and a few others that won't come to mind.

Recently the weather has moderated here and is staying mostly above 20 degrees at night. If it keeps up like this or better I have high hopes. Last year we had a period in early March where the temps dropped to around 5 degrees, but normally if we can get through the first week or so in February we are OK. It is my impression the the length of hard weather has as much to do with survival as its depth.

All of my Salvias will survive the winter and 3 are still blooming-- a little. The one that is the BIG surprise is Yvaonne's Salvia which is in full bloom and the hummers are thankful for. She also has a lot of new growth and desperately needs cutting back for shape.... but then there are the Hummers.

Don't cut 'er back! :) My hummers refuse the sugar feeder, so I finally took it down. Humph! And this was a very fancy, artistic glass feeder! LOL.

My salvias have all survived the frost damage (well, this IS California, so we can't really whine). Even the white coccinea is starting to come back (isn't that an annual??). I too have some still blooming, but I had spent tons of time researching winter blooming salvias... So some are just *starting* to bloom (e.g. S. pulchella/ univercillata -- interesting scent!).

Currently/ still blooming hummer food in my garden:
S. karwinskii (TRUE pink; love it!)
pulchella X karwinskii
pulchella X involucrata
iodantha
squalens
oppositiflora
gesneriiflora Tequila
sagittata
corrugata
confertiflora
microphylla Belize form
elegans (both red and pink)
vanhouttei
cacaliaefolia
Anthony Parker
Sierra San Antonio (crazy, huh?)

S. collinsii, but the hummers don't bother. I might be forgetting a few. :) My Midnight leucanthas are ~ done, but the [wild type] ones around the corner are still going strong. My wagneriana White Bract hasn't started, but it's blooming at Strybing. Actually, there are a LOT of salvias currently blooming at Strybing! See the winter blooming thread that I started. ;) I really need to visit Cabrillo... haven't been yet, but plan to attend their once/year sale this spring.

My Hummers not only drink from the feeder, but also come to get me when it's empty! From the numbers visiting Yvonne I think she's a hit. Maybe I'd better take more cuttings to have more plants for next winter.

Westelle:
That is great that you Yvonne's is still in bloom.More plants sounds like a good idea.
I had to cut back S. v "Dancing Flames" and my other vanhouttei "Burgandy" and repot them . I have never seen Yvonne's Sage in person it sounds like there maybe some interesting genetics in play w/that one. What hummers do you have visiting?
Thanks
Art

Yvonne's sets tons of seed, at least it does here in the east. Didn't you have a freeze Westelle? My Yvonne's are always killed right away when temperature drop below freezing even if it is for less than an hour. Isn't Yvonne's some sort of throw-back from a dwarfed splendens, closer to the wild species?

Thats not too surprising since up here it seems to takes more than one frost to actually kill certain plants in my area maybe several frosts. I have never had sal. coccinea come back but Im experimenting this winter with covering my main garden with heavy plastic and bags filled with whatever. Hopefully that will help and there will be some surprises. But I still also wintersow inside and out.

Coccinea is an annual Steve. You need to be on the look out for seedlings once the ground warms.

The Hummers are Anna's.

Yvonne has lived on the patio under the arbor since she first was planted into her BIG pot. There she has been shielded from our gaud-awful summer heat AND our bit of winter cold. Heck, I have a cuccinia that is still blooming for three years straight and is heading into her 4th summer. (we only had a few days of freezing at night early on.)

One thing I discovered - the hard way - is not to water any of the potted outdoor plants in the winter unless they actually droop.... and then only a little. Cold, wet soil is what dooms them.

S. coccinea is actually perennial, but is usually treated as an annual, as it needs considerable warmth to survive in winter. As mentioned it can easily rot if too wet.

I stand corrected. Last fall we had very little cold weather and freezes in pockets only. It was the first time coccinea bloomed for me in December. Coccinea may be a perennial in its native land but it stores so much easier as a tiny seed.

Alive: Black and Blue, Chiquita, darcyii, chionophylla, regla,, involcrata, Mexicana "limelight", Madrensis. hot lips, S Azurias, Augusta Duelberg, Henry Duelberg

The only ones I am worried about are the S. macrophila Tingo blue and S . Argentina skies, S striata, S melissodora. ... Still waiting, tapping my foot. Snow tomorrow

Here we are in February snow is coming down looks to be about a 1/2 inch. It has been years since we have had snow.
We will interesting see what Salvias survived once the thaw begins.
Art

No comments from here. I have had way to much rain,33 degree nights, 60 degree days. Last week I thought winter was over than another CA storm, more rain and a 28 degree night. I never cover any plants when rain is forecasted, I think soggy heavy wet covers do more harm. But I made an exception, and just put some old sheets and shade cloth over some. Well it rained for about an hour at dusk, by 2400 the skies cleared and the temp went down to 28. All my wet covers were frozen stiff, I lifted a pillowcase, and it could stand up by itself. I have some S. greggii in bloom and S. clevlandii seens to like the rain, S apiana appears to be ready to bolt.

All of my greggii (20+ plants) have foliage at the base and it has been a very, very wet and cold winter here in 7b.

It will be spring before I know about the other salvias (black & blue, purple majesty, indigo spires, mystic spires, leucantha).

Cameron

We had around 70 inches of snow this winter and it wasn't until last week that the snow melted enough to have a look. Everything that showed green leaves in January still has leaves a month later. Currently everything is reburied under fresh snow. Now I am hoping for some dry weather in March so all that water can drain away. Greggii and hybrids always retain their leave better than microphylla and it is nothing new here to worry about the latter. The same is true of the various guaranitica, there is now way to know.

I am finally seeing the very beginnings of my plants breaking dormancy in my greenhouse. A lot of plants look like they are going to make it. However, they are all 3 - 4 weeks behind schedule.