When searching google or mail-order nursery sites for black & blue photos, I've noticed there are many different shades of blue. I would prefer the blooms be a vibrant cobalt blue(next year when I plant them for the first time), but that seems to be the exception. I see a lot of photos of blooms that are either lighter, duller, or even purplish shades of blue. When I go to a local garden center next spring to buy a few of these could I end up getting any of the different colors?

Zone 5a
East-central Iowa

Dan, B&B is carried by many nurseries and even the box stores. The color seems to be pretty consistent from one to another, so maybe the variations you see online are due to lighting.
If you have minimal space to devote to this plant, and want the most "bang for your buck," you might consider getting a species guaranitica. Several forum members have found it to be preferred to the Black and Blue hybrid.
Of course when I say "preferred," I mean by hummers, not humans. If you want only the prettiest flowers, you'll probably have to go elsewhere for advice. We'll plant (and lovingly tend) the ugliest plants on earth, if they appeal to the hum-crowd.

Lizette, New Orleans, La.
USDA Zone 9

I have one species Salvia guaranitica and several Black & Blue. It could be because I only have one species but I don't see any difference in the use between the species and the Black & Blue but I do know that others have. My species plant also seems to bloom much later than the Black & Blue where as others have the opposite results. Lizette is right stating that the difference in color could be do to lighting when different photos are taken for different websites. Regardless of where I have gotten my plants the actual color of the flower seems to be consistant all the way across the board whether from an online source or local source.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Thanks. I was looking at Select Seeds' website last night and they have a very cool-looking brazilian blue salvia. I assume that is the species guaranitica? I'd love to have one of those to go with three black & blue.

Zone 5a
East-central Iowa

Yes Dan the Blue Brazilian sage is the Species. It also is commonly called Anise scented sage (although it doesn't smell like anise to me), and Giant Blue Sage

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Select Seeds is a great place to order from. I got my blue salvias from there.My plants are all planted close together, so I could not tell if the hummers preferred the blue guaraniticas over the Black and Blues. But I love the electric blue color of the guaraniticas, so I will repeat them.

Priya
Zone 7, Maryland

Dan, I've grown Black & Blue, the species and Argentine Skies for many years and I haven't noticed any difference in hummer usage. I have had the different varieties growing side by side and the hummers seemed to feed from them equally. I have now switched almost completely to B&B because I think it's the most attractive variety. You won't be disappointed in growing guaranitica. I grow several dozen species of hummingbird plants but that is the hummingbird plant that I grow the most of because they prefer it over anything else in my area.

Gary
Napoleon, OH
USDA Zone 5b

Yeah, everyone and their hummers seem to love them. However, I will have to limit my guaranitica plants to four because I don't have nearly as much full sun garden as many of you. I have to leave room for cuphea, salvia greggii and coccinea, and agastache.

Zone 5a
East-central Iowa