Hot Lips Salvias – A Complete Guide to Growing
With their bicoloured flowers and clever name, it is no surprise they are among the most popular plants in the garden. Hot Lips Salvias (Salvia microphylla ‘Hot Lips’) are dramatic, flower-filled powerhouses that provide season-spanning flower colour in the garden. These hybrids originated in Mexico and belong to the genus Salvia: a large group of flowering plants with fragrant foliage and flower spikes that attract a variety of pollinators including bees and hummingbirds. In this article, we’ll dive into some of the best you should know about Hot Lips Salvias, from their unique biology to how to grow them in your garden so they thrive.
What Makes Hot Lips Salvias Unique?
And that’s why some of my favourite Salvias in the Suzanne’s Garden are the Hot Lips Salvias (Salvia greggii ‘Hot Lips’). As you can clearly see, they come with the same type of showstopper tubular flowers as the coral-coloured ones, but this time the flowers are split vertically with the upper lobe being a pure white and the lower lobe flashing the bride’ that earned these plants their the temperature of the growing you get. In exceptionally cool weather, the flowers are either an all white or an all red, which – for anyone who loves these plants – serves to add yet another layer of fascination.
The foliage is also distinctive, and as we stood there, we crushed a few of the little oval leaves between our fingers. They had a mild minty fragrance, which combined with the flowers makes these Hot Lips Salvias multi-sensory extroadinas. I could have explored this garden all day.
Planting Hot Lips Salvias: What You Need to Know
Soil and Location
An unusual feature of the Hot Lips Salvias is that they will grow in well-drained soil in a sunny or partly shaded location, from neutral to slightly acidic (6.0 to 7.5 pH) while disliking heavy clay. They are intolerant of wet soil, which can invite root rot.
When first planting, it’s good to add organic matter — compost or well-rotted manure, for instance — to improve drainage and deliver nutrients vital to growth.
Planting Tips
Hot Lips Salvias can be spaced 18 to 24 inches apart, to allow for good air circulation to reduce the risk of disease. At planting time, dig a hole twice the width and about as deep as the plant’s root ball, drop in the plant, top it off at soil grade – not deeper into the ground – and water well.
If you’re planting in a container, use a pot with plenty of drainage holes and high-quality potting mix (containers should be at least 12 inches in diameter).
Caring for Hot Lips Salvias
Watering
These bee-friendly Hot Lips Salvias are also moderately drought tolerant once they are established, but they will need regular water during their first growing season. Water deeply and let your plants dry out slightly before watering again. In warmer climates or during sudden heat waves, you may need to give them a little more water.
Water at the base of the plant rather than overhead, to keep the leaves dry and help prevent fungal disease. Mulch around the base of the plant to conserve moisture and keep the roots cool.
Fertilizing
Hot Lips Salvias rarely need extra feeding but will flower better if given a general slow-release fertiliser in spring. Alternatively, supplement the shrub with a balanced liquid fertiliser every few weeks through summer, taking care not to over-feed, which can produce too much foliage at the expense of flowering.
Pruning
To preserve the compact look of Hot Lips Salvias, you’ll want to prune. Regular sacrifice of spent flowers through deadheading helps to ensure successive blooms. In early spring, before the fresh flush of growth, cut the plant by one-third to maintain form and encourage vigor.
In colder climates, where Hot Lips Salvias die back to ground level in winter, pruning away the dead stems in the spring rejuvenates the plant.
Overwintering
With a perennial rating of USDA zones 7 to 10, this species will tolerate winter temperatures down to about 0 to 10°F (-17 to -12°C). In regions that go a bit colder, salvias should be viewed as annuals or brought indoors during the winter. If you live in a region with a mild winter climate, you can cover your plants with a layer of mulch to insulate the crowns from the cold.
For those growing in containers, it is a good idea to get the potted plant indoors before the first frost and put them in a sunny spot but reduce watering to a minimum during their dormancy period to avoid overwatering.
Common Pests and Diseases
Hot Lips Salvias are relatively pest- and disease-free, so they’re an easy-care shrub for the home gardener. Occasionally they get aphids, spider mites and whitefly problems, which can be controlled by hosing off with a strong spray of water, and inspecting the plant regularly.
Powdery mildew and root rot caused by fungal diseases can strike if the plants are grown in poorly drained soil or in humid conditions when the leaves stay wet. Proper air circulation and watering will minimise the risk of these problems.
Propagating Hot Lips Salvias
Hot Lips Salvias can be propagated by seed, cuttings or division. Taking cuttings is the best way to ensure that the clones you create look exactly like your parent plant.
Propagating by Cuttings
To answer part one, timing is of the essence: best is late spring/early summer (just as the plant is starting growing again).
Step 3: Cuttings Only take cuttings from healthy, non flowering shoots that are about 4 to 6 inches long. Cut the cutting just below where the shoot is growing out from a leaf-node.
Prune Cuttings: Take the bottom leaves off and leave only a few on top. Dip the base of the stems in rooting hormone.
Potting seedlings: Cuttings planted in a mixture of perlite and peat moss. Perlite and peat moss potted seedlings. The seedlings are lightly watered and then the plastic bag slips over the pot to form a humid environment.
Rooting Instructions: Place in a warm, bright spot, out of direct light. Roots will emerge in approximately 4 to 6 weeks at which time the cuttings can be planted into individual pots or directly into the garden.
Propagating by Division
Hot Lips Salvias are also good candidates for division in the spring or fall. Dig up your plant and prise the root ball apart into smaller sections, each one coming away with roots attached. Plant out the divisions immediately in well-prepared soil.
Benefits of Growing Hot Lips Salvias
Attracting Pollinators
Their pollinator-oriented flowers are another big advantage of Hot Lips Salvias for some gardeners. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds all find Hot Lips in full bloom irresistible. And with many of them being perennials as well as heat-tolerant – they made it through a recent heatwave here in Texas without problem – these plants are a valuable asset for any wildlife-friendly garden.
Low Maintenance
Hot Lips Salvias require little attention, especially after getting established; they’re drought-tolerant, won’t ask to be fed very often and don’t have pest or disease issues that you’ll notice. So they’re great for beginners and experts alike.
Versatility in the Garden
All are tremendously useful and versatile plants for the garden, combining well in border plantings, in mixed perennial beds, or as single specimens in containers, the fuzzy forms standing out in shaggy contrast with the smooth depths of other foliages. Their bloom season ranges very long, with flowers appearing as early as late spring and continuing into the first winter frost.
Aromatic Foliage
Hot Lips Salvias also have fragrant foliage as a bonus. Their greenery has a tinge of mint and releasing this odour into a garden could ignite the playfulness of children.
Hot Lips Salvias are a colourful and versatile group for the garden, adding breathtaking blooms, fragrant foliage, and a long flowering season. With a little care, they’ll grow almost anywhere and, for many gardeners, that makes them hard to leave in the garden centre. Once planted, they will become a visible favourite for more years than you’ll expect, while at the same time providing a vital source of sustenance for pollinators returning from long journeys. For both the nectar-laden blooms and the stunning foliage, which range in appearance from the deep aubergine and burgundy peppered with silver leaves to the luminous chartreuse of Golden Delicious, Hot Lips Salvias are in a class of their own and easily achieve a prize-winning spot in any garden anywhere.