I was hoping westelle or ccroulet would post. From what
I recall is apiana grows in sandstone ,shale, granite and other loose rock of igneous origin. If it stays wet in the winter for to long you may lose it to rot, it does like hot and dry beter than cool and moist.Hope this helps.
Art

Sorry, but I haven't visited GW much recently. I'm not clear about the question. Sometimes we want someone to tell us that what we know in our heart to be true is not true. I'm often guilty of this, too!

S. apiana grows up to about the 4500 ft level on the south side of Palomar Mtn, and there are small patches on exposed, south-facing roadcuts at around 5000 ft. Most winters bring several bouts of snow, some of which lasts for many days in shaded areas. I'd think 24 deg F would occur pretty regularly from late Nov thru Mar, maybe even into Apr. IOW, it should easily survive 24 deg F. Good drainage is essential. It's growing in decomposing granite and shattered rock with soil in the cracks up there. During the winter, some moisture in the soil should be OK, and, in fact, they depend upon it, since winter/spring is the growing season. The most successful garden plantings I've seen have been in gravelly soils. Most of them in nature get lots of sun, but some are in shade a good part of the day, especially in winter. IOW, some shade is not fatal. For cultivation of already-rooted cuttings or established seedlings in pots, I've had good luck with Sunshine Mix No.1. This past year, I grew my Clevelands in 2 parts SM1 with 1 part of sand. I didn't grow S. apiana this year, but I'll probably try the same mixture with future crops of S. apiana. Pure SM1 dries out very fast, and a single day of inattention in warm weather can result in lost plants. If you have access to the raw materials to make your own medium, Cornell's "Peat-Lite" formula should work. There are also the older UC formulae, which use sand instead of perlite. I suppose my addition of sand combines aspects of UC into Peat-Lite. RSABG uses their own standard formula for most Calif. native plants. If you're interested, I can dig it out of a notebook. I realize that I've strayed from what I think is the question.

First off: I've learned to never plant small/young plants in the ground; I always pot them up until they get bigger and grow a decent root system.

Second: Salvia heres have plenty of drainage since my whole property goes downhill, which maybe why most do fairly good.

Third: I've learned to be very careful about watering these plants once the nights are cold... they seem to get root rot (or something) and die rather quickly. If I do water it is only a small amount and then in late morning when the day will stay warmer for awhile. Cold, wet roots seem to be deadly. Having said this... rain doesn't seem to have the same effect. ???

Hope this answers your questions.... and good luck!