It wasn't looking too good here in South Jersey - low temps this winter to about 5F. Just in the past few days new tiny leaves on old branches near the base are forming on many of the greggii and hybrids. Most of the microphylla still look dead, but this has happened before, pretty much every year. It will be a good month and half before the fates of the herbaceous salvia is known.

This brings up a question. Van Remsen has been hardy for several years now. The plants are in the way of garden renovation and crop rotation. I wonder if I can pot them up and put them on the porch to sprout.

Probably so, but make sure the root systems are not too big. There needs to be plenty of fine root hairs, definitely in balance with the foliage. Digging them up is a form of root pruning and the tops will need comparable treatment.

I guess we'll see what happens - thanks.

SO many empty pots. I think my S mexicannas did not make it. We got to 11 degrees for 3 nights. S chiquita, S gregii, S officionales, S involcrata, S chionophylla,S chamadriodes,S.hotlips, S redvelvet, S . ballotiflora, S madrensis

I am waiting on some you mentioned. Indigo Spires, Scarlet Spires, Mulberry Jam, involucrata and a few others were tarped and covered with bags of fall leaves. This worked well and led to very strong plants last year. Involucrata and some of the others had always been rather marginal here. Even if they returned they had a hard time recovering from their winter ordeal - the leaf bags made the difference.

When I loaded my stock plants into my newly re-erected greenhouse this late autumn, I purposely left duplicates outside for some hard freezes. Otherwise, they were treated the same. The ones that were left out for the extra cold have occasionally died, and they all were much slower breaking dormancy and were weaker.

These included S. microphyllas, S. reglas, Cherry Chief, and a few other similar species

The greenhouse must make a huge different in your productivity. A lot can be done with some banks of lights, a hot bed for seeding and rooting, and a porch, but a greenhouse, oh my.

Wardda, oh yes, you are right. I started out with two gro-light setups, then went to a couple cold frames. The greenhouse did indeed make a huge difference.

I just brought my two Salvia gesneriflora Tequila and one S. karwinskii out of my kitchen and into my yard. They made it inside without any light except for a couple windows and the overhead CFL since late October. The karwinskii lost a lot of leaves, but is still growing. The temps inside the kitchen went occasionally down to 37 F, and mostly stayed at 43 - 50 for the coldest three months, and for the last 5 weeks, it has been in the 50s, when the foliage just started to barely grow.

Jan 2&3 had 0 degree and 4 degree nights. 56 hours below 17 degrees. Salvia greggii(in bloom), S. microphylla, S. clevelandii, S apiana, S. spathacea(top died 2 pups ok) S. chamadriodes, S.dorisiana, doing good.

On the fence nothing green yet S.elegans, S.guaranitica S.coccinea.

A 25' Palo Verde who knows.