I planted the victoria white farinacea from seed according to a thread on this forum approximately 8 weeks before our last frost date. Got a very good germination rate. However it seemed that the growth of the seedlings was very slow. This was my first attempt at planting salvia from seed so I didn't know if this was their habit, or if it was due to my lack of experience with salvia. They were under grow lights in my basement which is approximately 70 degrees F.

I decided to pot them up individually even though the small seedlings were difficult to handle. Only 8 or so survived, but their growth rate still seemed very slow.

I transplanted the samll seedlings into the garden beds the first week of June. Six of those survived, but at this point they're only 2-3 inches tall. Is this normal for salvia? Will I get blooms this year? I planted them in total sun, they were fertilized with a slow release organic fertilizer when they went into the ground, and have been watered through this drought which is going on two weeks now. Any help or insight is appreciated.