I didn't know they were perennials anywhere. Here, they sprout and sit for quite a while. Maybe longer day lengths trigger them to grow and bloom. Not sure. But they always perform well for me in my whiskey barrels and large pots,

I've never any of mine over winter here in Oregon zone 8.

Yvonne's is a tall cultivar of Salvia splendens, native to tropical Brazil. It is a tender plant hardy to zone 10+ and grows as an annual. Highly doubt it overwinters in zone 7?? Mine die as soon as they are hit with frost.

yes, I think you all are right. I think I was mis-remembering. Maybe they re-seeded.

anyway, I pulled out the plant and it was a goner.

hope to get more seeds from some of you in the Spring!