That's a smart move, get to know the plant before investing in others. I had grown tender varieties a couple of times, and was impressed by the constant bloom. Finding those traits in winter hardy plant puts me over the moon!
I only have the 2 at this point, but have noticed that Lazy S's greenhouse offers several varieties that would be hardy in my zone, and more that would be hardy in zone 8a.
A very cool thing about Mauve Majesty last year was the longevity of the individual blooms. At first a flowering stem arose and started opening its buds. While those blooms were showy, a whole new stalk developed, and by the time those first blooms faded, the 2nd stalk was in bloom. Once it started, it was colorful until hard frost. And by the end of summer, it was producing 3 blooming stalks at a time.
