SHRUBS > SALVIA > HOT - sass
IN THIS GUIDE
SALVIA GUIDES
Common ProblemsContainer GrowingCuttings PropagationDeadheadingDivisionHarvestingOverwinteringPlantingPruningVarieties – Hot Lips – Common Sage – Pink Varieties – Woodland salvia
With their prodigal food colouring , reliably retentive flower seasons and evergreen plant foliage , Salvia ‘ Hot Lips ’ are hot place in summer garden and ornamental margin .
Not just a pretty human face , ‘ Hot Lips ’ will also lure plenty of bee and butterflies into your home through its intoxicating ambrosia .
The aroma given offby its bloom is resistless to humans too , so plant it near a bench or path to take full reward .
ripe of all , it ’s well-fixed to naturalize and evenhandedly stout against the British wintertime , so it ’s an ideal selection for beds , borders or any other spot in your garden that you wish to liven up with some energy and activity .
Overview
PreferredFull Sun
ExposureSheltered
Height90 centimetre
Spread60 centimeter
Bloom TimeSummer / Autumn
PreferredChalk , loam or sand
MoistureMoist but well - drained
pHAny
‘ Hot Lips ’ is a member of the salvia genus , which is also known as cosmetic sage and is prize for its extensive blossom periods and vivacious colour palette .
It is a particularly gamy specimen , with its open - mouthed petals a beautiful combination of red and blanched .
At certain times of the year or in sure regions of the country , you may notice that the flower is entirely one colour or the other , though a mix is more common .
In any grammatical case , it ’s a great addition to almost any location you place it , often roleplay symbiotically with other plant to preclude blight such as black spot and mold .
What ’s more , its status as a phallus of the sage family means its foliage and flowers are actually edible and are sometimes used as a garnish for salad , cocktails or other dish aerial and drinks.1Ask Mr. Smarty Pants . ( n.d . ) . Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – the University of Texas at Austin . retrieve March 24 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=5859
Some people say its taste is slimly resonant ofblackcurrant , though you might have to use a piddling bit of imagination to get at that conclusion .
Planting Guidelines
As its name suggests , ‘ Hot Lips ’ performs at its best when the temperature arise .
It ’s not to a fault fussy about the soil used as long as it ’s middling prolific and has undecomposed drain .
plant life in a hole late enough to submerge the stem orb if transplant from a green goddess .
outer space plants at least 30 cm aside to grant the root to develop decent .
‘ Hot Lips ’ is broadly hardy enough to survive the British winter , though it may buckle under to ice in specially cold class .
Insure against that by deal cuttings at the end of summer or taking potted specimen indoors when the quicksilver drops .
‘ Hot Lips ’ prefers as much Dominicus as potential , so plant it in a S - face up aspect in a sheltered position .
Partial specter may be adequate but is not advisable .
The front or heart of garden borders is the proficient place for it .
The industrial plant is n’t too demanding with regards to the type or acidity of the soil it ’s implant in , though good drainage is a must .
It does n’t enjoy set out its foot overly wet or juiceless , so take precautions to ensure it ’s never waterlogged or parched .
Plant Care
Most varieties of salvia will survive just ok without too much in the way of TLC , though particularly moth-eaten part of the country can spell trouble for them .
Just come after the guideline below and you should enjoy an telling display of peak year after twelvemonth .
If you live in an extremely inhuman and loaded part of the British Isles , it ’s good practice to expend horticultural wool or organic mulch to insulate the roots .
or else , you may just bring pot plants indoors during the cold month .
“ If you live in a cold part of the country , you’re able to also dig up plant growing in the ground in fall before the first frosts and either divide or pot the whole clump into a large stack , ” shares Colin Skelly , a Horticultural Consultant .
“ Water well , cut back the foliage and keep in a inhuman greenhouse over wintertime . It will be quick to plant back outside the following late spring . ”
Strictly speak , it ’s not 100 % necessary to cut salvias at all .
If you are go to do so , it ’s advisable not to rationalise too early , since this could imperil the flora ’s survival in the case of a coarse frost .
alternatively , wait until it has begun to show fresh growth in leap before pruning back by a third .
In blooming time of year , be on the watch for wilted heyday to deadhead in parliamentary law to encourage longer and more fertile flowering throughout the total time period .
Propagation
As bring up above , it ’s a expert idea to take cuttings to provide insurance in case it falls victim to a serious winter .
you could do so in spring before it flowers with softwood tip cuttings or in late summer with semi - ripe cutting .
Whichever type you prefer , it ’s best to take the press clipping in the morning when the plant is at peak hydration .
Select a respectable stem and cut just above a leaf node , aiming for the clipping to be around 5 - 10 cm in length .
Dip the mown end of the cutting into the rooting mixture and plant it in a 15 atomic number 96 pot filled with compost and perlite .
shroud with a moldable bag and keep warm and moist for the first few week of its lifetime , until it has begun to take tooth root .
Companion Planting
Salvia ‘ Hot Lips ’ will look unbelievable alongside any flowering perennial moulding plant life , withalliums , genus Antirrhinum , Dahlia pinnata , genus Echinacea , penstemons , rudbeckiasandverbenasjust some of the options on offer .
Underplanting them alongside roses make for another completing display since the salvias will begin flowering just as the roses finish .
Meanwhile , you could also pair them up with other salvia cultivars , such asS. greggii‘Royal Bumble ’ orS.‘Dyson ’s Joy ’ .
Common Problems
Salvia ‘ Hot Lips ’ is generally disease - complimentary and can even guard off likely blights from neighbouring plants .
However , its aesthetic timbre mean it is a common target for pests such as leafhoppers , rosemary beetle , slugs and snails .
