Salvia 'Hot Lips'
Hot Lips Sage
Description
Salvia 'Waverly' is a perennial shrub that reaches 5' tall and wide. It needs full sun and medium amount of water. Red mixed with white flowers bloom in the spring but this shrub has blossoms most of the year. This shrub will get knocked down to the ground when the first frost arrives; however, it will come back vigorously especially if pruned in February or March. Hummingbirds love the flowers.
Maintenance Tips
Salvia 'Hot Lips' is a hybrid of Salvia microphylla and has been selected for the two-toned flowers that display both white and bright red. This hybrid matures at 5’ tall and wide and can grow much larger than the common descriptions. It is a very fast grower and is often planted in locations where it quickly becomes overcrowded so it becomes the victim of shearing and poor pruning. The best way to keep it low maintenance is to give it the space it requires to reach maturity, then use the thinning method, pruning out the longest branches and allowing sunlight to the interior of the plant. All of the flowers are born at the tips of the branches, so hedging is discouraged as it will cut off the blooming potential. However, deadheading spent blooms can increase the blooming cycle. This plant rarely has any pest or disease issues and rarely requires any kind of fertilizer to look and perform its best.
Plant Type
Perennial
Height Range
3-6'
Flower Color
Red, White, Multi-Colored
Flower Season
Spring, Intermittent
Leaf Color
Green
Bark Color
n/a
Fruit Color
n/a
Fruit Season
n/a
Sun
Full
Water
Medium
Growth Rate
Fast
Soil Type
Sandy, Loam
Soil Condition
Average, Poor, Well-drained, Dry
Soil pH
Neutral
Adverse Factors
n/a
Design Styles
English Cottage, Mediterranean, Ranch, Spanish, Wild Garden
Accenting Features
Showy Flowers, Specimen
Seasonal Interest
Spring
Location Uses
Background, Perennial Border, Patio, Park, Parking Lot, Raised Planter
Special Uses
Container, Cut Flowers, Filler, Mass Planting
Attracts Wildlife
n/a
Water between sunset and sunrise when temperatures and wind are the lowest.