I have had Black and Blue Salvia for a number of years. My first attempt to grow it was unsuccessful. I had it growing in a hot, south-facing sandy front garden bed that received sun all day long. It did ok at first but eventually died. I may have either over-watered or under-watered it. I was never able to determine the cause of it's demise.
The second time I grew it was in a 3-tiered raised bed. I can't remember when I got this newer plant. I believe I've had it about 5 years. It was once again planted in an all-day sunny spot, but the soil was amended (not all sand). I had it planted in the top-tier area of 2' x 2'. It loved that location! It grew to about 2 1/2 ft. tall and had branches hanging over the top raised bed wall. Unfortunately for me, it loved that location a little too much. It sent out underground runners and started popping up in the lower 2 beds. I finally had to remove it! I planted it in an 18 gallon plastic bin container. It did great the first year, but has been languishing ever since. It is just a shadow of it's former self now. I have read that it will not thrive and will eventually die in a container. That seems to be true for me. Each year it gets smaller and smaller and blooms less. Once it dies in the bin, I probably will not replace it. I have other salvias that serve to attract hummingbirds and butterflies much better than my Black and Blue salvia.
In the ground, Black and Blue can get quite large and spread by underground runners. It is invasive here in the ground in my yard. It took me 2 years of digging up the underground runners that kept popping up new B & B plants in my 3-tiered bed. I had originally planted it because it was considered a hummingbird magnet. I did see some hummer usage along with butterfly usage, but it was not one of the favorite salvias used regularly by the hummingbirds. Perhaps that is because I mainly have hummingbirds in Winter when B & B tends to be more dormant.
I had also read somewhere that B & B has been propagated by tissue culture which has produced weaker plants that may not live as long. If you have an original rooted cutting of this bush, consider yourself to be very lucky!
Mine is prone to whitefly and black sooty mold. It can also develop root rot if the soil does not drain fast enough after rain or watering.
It does not produce seeds. Propagation is by rooting cuttings, dividing the plant, or by removing the underground runners and replanting them.
