I lost an established Amistad in a sheltered London garden over winter. It survived a couple of years but I cut it back one year and it didn't survive. Don't remember if it was a particularly cold winter but I'm sure not cutting it back until the spring helps it survive. Am now in Berkshire and we've already had a couple of nights at zero, have one in the ground but on a steep slope with very good drainage. Will mulch it heavily and keep my fingers crossed...
It's wet cold that's the problem - as it is for many plants. The length of time it takes for soil to warm up and dry out is what makes the difference. Dry cold is always easier to manage.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
My Amistad have survived winters outdoors, both in pots and in the ground, in South Yorkshire, but I have sandy well-drained soil which I think is the main factor, and the ones in pots are under the eaves out of the worst of the rain. I leave the top growth on until they start to grow (usually from ground level or not much above that). The other perennials growing near the ones in the border are also left until spring before cutting back, which I think also provides a bit of protection.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I have left Salvia Amistad, Royal Bumble and Super Trouper in the ground here in North Notts for several years and they always come back, although the growth is obviously later than for those overwintered in pots in a cold greenhouse. I think it depends very much on the Salvia because the same treatment of covering with a mulch of leafmould or composted bark has definitely not worked for others such as Amethyst Lips and Black and Blue. I always take late summer cuttings as insurance to be safe. Certainly your Salvias will not survive without some compost and more watering than you might think if you decide to take them inside. I agree about the slugs (or snails in my case)...moonlight forays are required to keep the plants growing but they are tough and always pull through.
The treatment that I described above also works for the shrubby ones here - I have maybe a dozen or so varieties (but not the "lips" ones because they're not really to my taste). Black and Bloom (one of the guaraniticas, similar to Black and Blue) has come through two winters in a big pot against the house wall but it doesn't flower as prolifically as I would like so it might have to take its chances out in the border next year. New this year I have Amante and Phyllis Fancy, both of which are similar to Amistad in habit, so we'll see how they do.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
@Jsb.pond I'm not far from York and take up all my salvias Amistad, black and blue and another which I forget the name as we lose more than half each winter. Our ground can get wet in some parts of the garden but it is very exposed and I think it's more the cold that does it. I just dig them up stick them roughly into large pots or buckets with holes and stick them in a shed,water sparingly every 4/5 weeks and that's it.
Yes I asked the propagation expert at Capel Manor this exact question. She said sometimes if there are no other suitable shoots take as young a flowering one as you can, take the flowers off and treat as normal from there.
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Am now in Berkshire and we've already had a couple of nights at zero, have one in the ground but on a steep slope with very good drainage. Will mulch it heavily and keep my fingers crossed...
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...