I am a huge fan of salvias. They bloom profusely providing nectar for bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies from spring until frost. Additionally they don't demand a lot of attention. I know from reading books by Betsy Clebsch that there are a lot of species that do well in California, but many of those can't withstand our brutal Texas summers.
Here is a list of some growing in my gardens in south central Texas that can take the heat:
Mexican Bush Sage (s. leucantha)
Big Red (s. penstemmonoides)
Blue Chiquita
Eyelash sage (s. blepharophylia)
Bog Sage (s. uliginosa)
Salvia greggii (Hot Lips, Shell Dancer, Teresa, Mesa and many unnamed hybrids)
S. Karwinski
Salvia Oresbia
Lyre Leaf (s. lyrata)
Mountain Sage (s. Regla) forms small tree
La Trinidad (s. microphylla)
Wendy's Wish and Silkie's Dream
Salvia Coccinea (Lady in Red, Coral Nymph, and a white one whose name I can't remember)
Henry and Agusta Duelburg (s. farinacea) along with Mealy Blue and Majestic Spires
Oaxaca Sage and Mejorana (both form large shrubs)
Black and Blue (s. guarantica)
Cedar Sage (s. roemeriana)
Forsythia Sage (s. madrensis)
Nuevo Leon
Dulches numbres
Some of the above do self-seed and others spread by underground runners, but I've never found any of them to be 'invasive'. In my opinion, there's no such thing as too many salvias.
