First off, special thanks for a great forum. Although, in zone 7, I can't grow all of the featured beauties, I sure do enjoy learning about them. Some have definitely caught my eye and then touched my, well, wallet as I've ordered. The thing is, I'm betting the newbies will touch my heart, too. Thanks to all of you who contribute here, and special thanks and applause to our moderator.
My lament is that there are some, okay many, that are new to me and I want to see what zone they will grow in, how large they will become, and special needs, if any. It does seem that there have been quite a few that prompt an empty plant file entry on our ATP. (Check today's Forsythia Sage, for example.) On the bright side, there are often photos. I do want to encourage -- and say please -- to those of you who grow and have the knowledge of such goodness to take a moment and fill out the plant data base here. The problem might be motivation; if so, perhaps we should encourage Dave to reward more acorns to such contributions, for it certainly is easier to post a photo of a plant than to fill out the information. Regardless, I do encourage you to do what you can. This novice (perhaps intermediate even) gardener would certainly appreciate it, and I'm sure many more would too.
Thanks. Peace and smiles to you all.

'Tis true.....our database is still a work in progress and as far as salvia, they seem to come out with new ones daily, faster than many of us can keep up with buying them. I myself need help with info sometimes in that I've been living in a frostfree zone for years and am now having to learn what will grow well where I am now. I am sure that Kermit is happy when we purchase plants from him, but his info is there for free...LOL....and helpful...check it out....
http://www.fbts.com/

Sean, sometimes the owner of a website will allow a member of another website to copy information, which is what JonnaSudenius, owner of www.seedsite.eu has done for atp by allowing me to copy her seed viability information to atp (which I need to do asap). Many years of her personal gardening experience are behind this very useful data, which I hope will be given a sticky in the Seeds forum when I do it. Hopefully that will remain a work in progress as more folks chime in with their experiences on seed viability.

It would be wonderful if the owners of websites specializing in Salvias would do the same for atp, but I don't know how they would feel about it. Their websites are hugely comprehensive in the knowledge they share, and anyone can collect data on salvias from them for personal use.

www.fbts.com sells salvia plants, and encyclopedic information on that website on salvias can be filtered by zone as well as other factors. The owner often participates on this forum and has made many articles about salvias available

http://www.robinssalvias.com/ sells seed of Salvias, and lucky is the gardener who avails himself of that service. Robin's website, to me, is like an art gallery of sages, and I always come away from that website with a renewed sense of wonder about the genus Salvia.

Richard Dufresne is another knowledgeable resource on Salvias, but I don't know if he has been active on this website. At one time, he had lists of salvia seed and plants for sale available, and I'd love to know if he is still active with those.

For copyright reasons, if I understand correctly, we cannot copy data on plants from one website to this one without permission. Others probably know more about that than do I.

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ps - I google the botanical name of a salvia (or any plant) + zone, and that almost always yields useful information on a plant's zone.

waving to Gypsy - we cross-posted - I need to spend more time around here - Sean, are you new? Welcome, however new you may be

It seems that info from Rich Dufresne is sporadic....

Robin is indeed knowledgable and his site is helpful also.....

@Whitebeard Sean

Thank you for the nice words.

I try and fill info to the salvia and agastache plant files when I can and also add recently new introduced salvia and agastache plants to the database. Of course, others can too if they want. An acorn and/or a part of an acorn is awarded when info is added and approved by the "admins" to each plant.

There are a lot of salvias in the database that don't have photos and so far, I haven't listed them as plant of the day, but I might have start doing that, since I'm running out of salvias that have photos already added. If y'all have photos of salvias in your personal photo file that haven't been added, then please consider adding them. If it is the first photo added to the plant (where there was none before), then 2 acorns are awarded.

Being in zone 6a, there are a lot of salvias that I can only grow as tender perennials (annuals) and I grow them each year (new plants) mainly for the hummers, butterflies and bees. Some salvias I buy and grow every year, since I consider them "staples" and "must haves", but I try and grow some new ones every year.

I rely heavily on the Flowers By The Sea website for their salvia plants, info listed and to look at salvia photos. Please check out Kermit's website for plant info. For example, if you click onto the Wendy's Wish salvia, http://www.fbts.com/wendys-wis... not only is the description info there, photo(s) shown, but if you click the Cultural Icons button below the name of the plant, http://www.fbts.com/wendys-wis... you'll see some info that might have not been said clearly in the details section.

Sometimes I've looked at Robin's salvias website for info and photos.

I agree, thanks to all of you who contribute here!

The links are great...and, of course, web searches are what we rely on. I do understand the paucity of info in the case of new cultivars. There are, however, many plants that have been around, and whose details are available on several sites, books, and the plant tags we save -- (I'm sure I'm not alone on that! How we organize such might just make for an interesting thread too! ) -- and so copyright infringement is not an issue. Additionally, I don't expect anyone would mind the added publicity and information about a cultivar that only she or he has developed. The issue, I expect... and I readily admit my guilt... is that not enough of us are taking the time to fill out the data base here. We know where to find the information, and we settle for the outside searches.

Yet that said, thank God and those here for all the great submissions. This may not be the finest research zone, but it's a mighty community with some lovely gardens, and photo skills!, that does much for many.

Somehow, it seems to me, that the emphasis here has always been on our database being member-created rather than bringing in outside sources of information......I could be wrong, but we're a pretty strong member-family and you're very welcome here. I, myself, prefer member info and member photos rather than stock archived photos and info from sources that bring up exactly the same pics or statements found in other sources. As I quickly state, I could be wrong and I'm sure I'll hear about it if that's the case....LOL..

I think that perhaps our greatest strength is the quality of the relations built here.

Sherry, I respectfully disagree with you, at least in part. With few exceptions, most of us here are gardeners not botanists. Based on our experience, we can fill out the database with what we know. For example, although not typically listed for more than dappled shade, I know that Microbiota decussate 'Prides' grows in close to complete shade for that is where I have it and it continues to do well. However, for me to be able to attest to the fact that it is rated from zone 2 to 7, I must rely on the research I've done, and not on my experience. The thing is, many of us are good researchers when it comes to plants, and we do well to share that research here.

True...I'm afraid that I was thinking mostly of photographs.....and am only recently looking at hardiness info, etc. and hadn't noticed a lack of it on our site. Where I lived previously, a lot of that info did not apply and where I am now, that's still the case. USDA Zones, etc...are not as reliable for me here as is info pertaining strictly to the PNW.

edited to add that I do think it is most helpful to hear from those growing whichever plants in your own immediate area. I have looked up various plants as to hardiness and noticed differing info up to two zones off on the same plant. Where I live, I benefit more from information from gardeners in the PNW and it helps to have a couple of friends here who have been nursery owner / growers for years. Their information is often contradictory to what I get from most zone guides and applies to our unique climate here. For that reason, I do appreciate hearing from other members how a certain plant performs for them, in their own climate zones.

Me too! And absolutely agree with you on the photos. Those need to be our own. I am really greatly for the good gardeners in my area, especially as I moved in 3 years ago and it's really still a new adventure! Happy going and growing to you.