My Salvia 'Cherry Queen' was always a terrific bloomer. It would usually start in March (possibly earlier in mild winters) and continue until November. It bloomed through heat and light freezes and stayed evergreen except one year when we had a long cold snap with single digit temps.
Sadly, my plant got old (10+ years) and woody and started to decline when faced with some horrible weather one year. I knew that I needed to make some cuttings but it didn't happen. I would definitely get it again, though, as it is a great plant. It's tough, floriferous, pretty, and the hummingbirds always loved it. I was really great for the early migrators since it started blooming so early.
I have my suspicions that there are imposters being sold with the name 'Cherry Queen'. The flower color can be hard to capture in photos accurately so I expect some variability in that. However, some photos show plants that look much more like S. x jamensis hybrids. There are too many S. microphylla characteristics in the leaves such as noticeably crenate or serrate leaf margins.
'Cherry Queen' should have dark green, glossy leaves with smooth margins. There should also be a fairly high proportion of leaves with noticeably pointed tips (at the leaf apex) especially near the tips of stems (distal ends.)
Here is a scanned image from the hybridizer, Rich Dufresne.
http://www.worldofsalvias.com/...
Sheri, can you get a close-up photo of the leaves?
Sheri & Marilyn, where did you buy your plants?
