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Salvia 'Hot Lips' is a vibrant, bushy perennial celebrated for its eye-catching, two-toned flowers and aromatic, fine-textured foliage. This compact sage variety brings a playful burst of color to garden beds, borders, and containers, delighting gardeners with its long bloom season and pollinator appeal.
Description:
Dimensions: Grows to a height of 2-3 feet with a spread of 2-3 feet. It forms a rounded, mounding shape with small, oval, mid-green leaves that release a subtle fragrance when brushed or crushed.
Sun Exposure: Prefers full sun, ideally receiving 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily. Thrives in bright conditions to enhance flowering and maintain its vivid colors.
Water Requirements: Prefers well-drained soil with moderate watering during establishment. Drought-tolerant once established, it performs best with occasional deep watering, allowing soil to dry between sessions.
Hardiness Zones: Hardy in Zones 8-10 (may act as an annual or require protection in colder zones).
Bloom Time: Blooms from late spring to fall, often until the first frost, with tubular flowers that shift between solid red, solid white, or bicolor red-and-white depending on temperature and season.
Pruning: Prune lightly in early spring to shape and remove dead growth, and deadhead spent blooms during the season to encourage continuous flowering.
How to Plant:
Location: Ideal for garden beds, borders, rock gardens, or containers in sunny, well-ventilated areas. Prefers lean, well-draining soil to thrive and attract hummingbirds and bees.
Soil Preparation: Use well-draining, sandy or loamy soil with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH. Amend with gravel or sand if needed to prevent waterlogging.
Planting: Dig a hole slightly larger than the root ball. Place the plant in the hole, ensuring the top of the root ball is level with the soil surface.
Spacing: Space plants 2-3 feet apart to accommodate their mature spread and promote air circulation, reducing disease risk.
Watering: Water thoroughly after planting and keep soil moderately moist during the first growing season. Reduce watering once established, as it prefers drier conditions.
Fun Fact: Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips' is famous for its whimsical, lipstick-like blooms that change with the weather—redder in heat, whiter in cool spells—earning it a spot as a pollinator magnet and a Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit winner.