@jg0613 (Judy)
Thanks for your nice words.
Flowers By The Sea is a great place to get Salvias. A large assortment to pick from, that it is like being in a "candy store". That's where I get 99.99 to 100 percent of all my Salvias every year and I've been buying from Kermit (FBTS) for years. I've always been happy with his plants. They're grown with care and packed wonderfully! By the time I get them here in KY, the plants don't even "know" they've been in a box for a few days.
We have clay soil here too and I admen it with compost; all-purpose sand (probably coarse sand) that I get at our local Lowe's inside the store in the masonry isle and gypsum.
http://cmtmi.com/gypsum.asphtt...
http://encap.net/lawn-mineral-...
http://www.acehardware.com/pro...
With clay soil, always add compost and coarse sand together. Never use play (fine) sand that it is used for children's sand boxes, because then you're soil will turn into concrete.
Black and Blue, Amistad, and Wendy's Wish are all great Salvias and wonderful for attracting Hummingbirds. Salvias Scarlet Spires and Mulberry Jam are some of my favorites that I get every year and the Hummers love them too.
http://www.fbts.com/salvia-sca... http://www.fbts.com/salvia-x-m... FBTS carries the B and B, Amistad and WW also.
Some other great Salvias are the coccinea varieties: Lady in Red, Coral Nymph, Forest Fire, Snow Nymph, Summer Jewel Red and Summer Jewel Pink.
http://www.fbts.com/_search.ph...
Agastaches are great for the Hummers too and I have some that are in the ground, as well as, in containers. I love A. Rupestris Sunset and A auranitica Apricot Sprite and I have those two in a container together with A. Glowing Embers
http://www.highcountrygardens.... and A. Kudos Yellow
http://www.fbts.com/agastache-...
In another container I've planted A. Red Happiness
http://www.highcountrygardens.... with A Black Adder
Anise Hyssop (Agastache 'Black Adder') which is a great bee plant. I've A. Red Happiness in the ground also. I planted A. Ava
http://www.highcountrygardens.... http://www.fbts.com/agastache-... in a container tub this year.
Every year I've a container tub of A. Black Adder 2 to 3 plants and they come back each year. I also mail order every Spring A. Summer Breeze
http://www.selectseeds.com/cgi... They flowers are gorgeous of course, so do the Hummers. This year I've 2 plants of SB in a container.