Looks like salvia patens, probably 'Cambridge blue' or 'Oxford blue'. I don't know which one it is.

There's another called salvia patens' Blue Angel'. They are really pretty. I started s. patens 'lavender lady' from seed. Hope this helped, maybe someone else can name it correctly.

Oh, thank you, thank you, Helena! I found pics online and I think it is exactly that! I believe (judging from pictures isn't always easy) it is Blue Angel. That seems to be the deepest true blue of the salvia patens I saw. I'm so happy to know what my mystery plant is, and happy to have added another variety to my garden. I'm putting it in the ground tomorrow and hoping it does as well as my indigo spires and guaraniticas have done.

Thanks again!!
Marcia

Keep us posted if your patens makes it through your summer. Mine really hate high heat and humidity, and normally die then. But maybe we can find a variety/selection that can take it.....

John R in Austin

I will keep you posted, John. I put it in the ground today where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade, as recommended by someone on another forum. I hope that will help it survive. I have scads of guaranitica and indigo spires, lady in red, leucantha, etc. But have never even seen this one in a central Florida nursery before, so maybe it was an accident. I'm going to give it my best shot, though.

Marcia

This is certainly S. patens. If the foliage is blotched and the plant grows to more than 3 ft. it is probably S. patens 'Guanajuato', a spectacular plant. I honestly think that the name 'Blue Angel' is a nurseryman's name to sell the species known as S. patens. It really is the same as the species S. patens.

Robin.