Salvias are great plants for our Texas climate - and the deer don't eat them. The Duelbergs are reliable, both Henry and Augusta. The story goes that these were discovered planted on graves, hence the sales slogan "If the dead can grow them, so can you". While I find most salvias to be easy, S. guaranitica has never performed well in my gardens. I've managed to kill more than one.
However, many others have been successful including:
S. Madrensis (forsythia sage, yellow flowers in fall)
Big Red (S. penstemonoides), once on the endangered list, but brought back by propagators
S. Karwinski (deep pink blooms in cool weather; evergreen)
S. La Trinidad (one of my favorites)
Cedar Sage (S. roemeriana) grows in shade
S. oresbia (bright orange blooms)
Mexican Bush (S. leucantha)
Bog Sage (S. ulignisoa although I believe they've renamed this one) beautiful blue flowers
Lyreleaf sage (S. lyrata)
Smooth leaf sage (miniata) needs winter protection
Mountain Sage (S. regla) forms small tree
S. Oaxaca (shrub size)
Recent cultivars, Teresa and Wendy's Wish are easy to grow (although Wendy will freeze)
Coral Nymph and Scarlet Sage (coccinea) are rampant self-seeders, but I don't mind. The greggiis are definitely the work-horses of the garden and bloom continuously, attracting bees and butterflies all summer. The color selection includes red, white, purple, and lovely raspberry.
But the best salvias for pollinators are, in my opinion, Mystic Spires and Indigo Spires. Butterflies can't resist them.
Betsy Clebsch has written a couple of great books on Salvias.
As an added bonus, I've found that all salvias are easy to propagate from cuttings. Gotta love free plants!
