Is the fungal attack internal? I might suspect black leg if it is.

I am guessing you are in California, so you may have a different spectrum of pathogens than I do in North Carolina.

Richard:
Thanks! I live in Texas and the soil is very alkaline
but I think your are right we problably get different pathogens.
I am a little south of where Armand Hufault is ,you may
know him as Texas Ornamental Service. He has lots of S.
microphylla x greggii "Red Velvet" hybrids in colors of
pinks and deeper reds as well as some others too.

One of the strongest factors controlling the distribution of microflora and microfauna, as well as pathogens, is pH. The relative acidity or alkalinity of a media has a profound effect on the facilitation or inhibition of supporting or antagonistic biochemical processes. Depending on which critter it is, pH changes are either manna from heaven or it gets them where it hurts.

Are any of these hybrids as large flowered as Red Velvet, and as hardy?

To update you on my Velvet series: these are hybrids of S.Greggii Red Velvet(not to be confused with the trade variety being sold as Red Velevt which is a S. Microphylla.
Velvet series cultivars result from Red Velvet and other salvia greggi in my collection.

They are all strong growers with strong drought resistance, upright growers to 4 ft and long lived.
My Red velvet border is over 10 years old.
Cultivars: all have an ovate type leaf with small scallops along the edge. During prolonged periods without rainfall the leaf becomes elongated ellipse as salvia greggii.

Cherry RAZ-Cherry red with violet tinted calyxes and new stem growth
Crnberry-cranberry red
Ruby-Ruby red with dark calyxes
Cardinal-Cardinal red
Radiant Pink-Very hot pink with pronounced white eye
Violet-deep violet with dark calyxes

Armand:
Thanks for the update on your Velvet series!You had problems
growing Salvia clevelandii too as I recall. Did you ever put some in your granite beds? I talked w ccrochet on this forum and they had mentioned what rock/soil they are growing in in the wild.I have seen some growers in Houston
sending out clevelandii in a Peat mix. I think they had cool
cells on the greenhouses too.

Rich and Armand
I have a hybrid that is Red Velvet X Art's Red Named
"National Velvet" it is I am afraid to vigorous for it's own good but the flowers are larger (seed also).The seedlings (Red Velvet x Art's Red x Red Velvet)produce larger flowers (and seed)but more manageable plants the flower is also a deeper red like "Art's Red". The flower size and color is maintained in most seedlings as well no variations into pink or other colors.I do use "National Velvet" leaves in my cooking just because they are so easy
to chop.The person from california is ccroulet not ccrochet.

Art:

Have you grown High Country Garden's Scarlet Spires (darcyi x microphylla), similar to Silke's Dream? I am testing David Salman's other greggiis and the Stampede series for durability in our hot humid climate. We rarely get nights where the lowest temps go below 67 degrees, then the bottom drops out. This shortens greggii and microphylla bloom times. The flowers are also a bit larger in cooler weather. My second year Stampede greggiis look pretty weak (but have been in pots all this time). I don't have any beds of good soil for trialling myself.

Rich:
I have grown Salvia x Raspberry Delight that worked well. Salvia pachyphylla,Stachys coccinea "Hot Spot Coral",
Zizophora clinopodiodes,Salvia Marachino and from Tom Peace "Wild Thing" all died.I do want to try some more
of David Salman's Black Cherry,Scarlet Spires. I thought
about trying Scott Ogden's Ultra Violet too. He has "Silkes Dream" planted in his garden in Colorado. Scott say's it performes better there than it does in his Austin garden.
I will keep you updated on my second year Stampede series.
My stampede lavender foiage has turned purplish and is begining to defoiate Punch is performing well. We are in a
serious drought so I have had to do some watering this year.

I'm hoping to bring in some spent mushroom soil for a mini-bed I want to build at my rental. I'll use it for some supplemental veggies at first (tomatoes & peppers). When I did this in Baltimore way back, I got 75 tomatoes off of one bush.

Next year, it will be used for the subtropical trial sages especially for the finicky ones. I need to grow out some vibrant stock plants of those that do poorly in pots. If I can make some worm castings out of coffee grounds and peat moss, watch out!

I'll want to get back some of the weak growers so I can get them spread around before they disappear. For those that are weak during this year's trials, it will be interesting to see how they do in a rich bed.

Rich:
Which subtropicals you putting in beds?

Finicky ones would include S. blepharophylla Dulces Nombres. This clone of blepharophylla would root for me only if it was a robust plant, and I want to make sure it is not lost, since it comes from the type locality.

If anyone can get some from Chip Schumacher, if he still has it, and can get it to me, I'd really appreciate it.

I'd also do some of the x jamensis forms that are borderline hardy. I'd try buchananii, the reglas, and sessei and some of the new ones from Europe. There are others, but I can't think of them now.

Rich
I did some calling around today Chip has his
answering machine on and I did not get a answer
at Pat McNeals. I will see if I can find Sweet Numbers
for you. I was with John and Carl when they found
Sierra San Antonio we collected lots of cuttings but
they were not the right kind of wood for cuttings. John and Carl went back later and were successful. I have some second and third generation seelings that hold up in the heat a lot better than their parents. I do have one that looks just like Sierra SA but way to rangy. The only one
that grows from that geneome is a selection called "moon
glow" but no seed production. My S.regla is from the same collection site but lynn lowery collected it. I had S.sessei
about 20 years ago but gave it to a friend to root some cuttings but the plant died befroe he could get cuttings.
I always grew S.sessei in 50% play sand and pine bark mulch
with some gypsym and copperus (Iron sulfate) added in. It was massive and vigorous. Lynn had made that collection too. I will let you know what I find out.Buchananii melts
in our heat. A company in Willis Tx grows lots of Salvias
(Tawakoni Plant Farm)
I plan on contacting them too.
Art