Hot Lips sage

Sun

Full sun gives the most flowers; light afternoon shade helps in very hot climates.

Water

Water regularly during establishment, then deeply during prolonged dry spells. Let the soil surface dry between waterings; containers need more frequent checks.

Soil

Well-drained soil, including sandy, chalky or gravelly ground. Avoid heavy soil that stays wet in winter.

Height

2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m)

Spread

2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m)

Flowers

Late spring or early summer until autumn frosts; small, two-lipped red-and-white flowers, sometimes wholly red or white.

Foliage

Small, paired, oval green leaves with lightly toothed edges and a fruity, sage-like scent when rubbed. Evergreen to semi-evergreen in mild climates, often deciduous near its cold limit.

Growth

Moderate to fast in warm weather.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen
• Fragrant

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.8 ft (0.56 m)

3. After 2 years

   2.1 ft (0.63 m)

4. After 3 years

   2.3 ft (0.69 m)

5. After 5 years

   2.5 ft (0.75 m)

   full size

About 4 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Fast

• Plant after hard frosts have passed, leaving room for a broad, branching shrub.
• Water through the first growing season; reduce watering once roots are established.
• Feed sparingly; rich soil and heavy feeding encourage leafy growth at the expense of flowers.
• Keep mulch away from the woody crown and improve drainage before planting in heavy soil.
• In cold regions, move container plants to a bright, cool, frost-free place for winter.

Pruning. In spring, once hard frosts are unlikely and new buds are visible, remove dead stems and shorten living shoots by about one-third to one-half, cutting above healthy growth. Lightly trim spent flower stems in summer, but avoid hard autumn pruning or cutting into bare old wood without live buds.

Spring

Check for new growth before pruning out winter damage and shortening the remaining stems.

Late spring

Plant out after hard frosts, or return overwintered pots outdoors gradually.

Early summer

Take softwood cuttings from healthy, non-flowering shoots.

Summer

Water during extended dry weather and lightly trim spent flowering stems if blooming slows.

Early autumn

Take backup cuttings if winter survival is uncertain.

Late autumn

Move pots under cover before hard frost; leave outdoor stems standing for winter.

• Repeat along a sunny border edge to carry red-and-white colour through summer and autumn.
• Mix with lavender, catmint and ornamental grasses in a free-draining gravel garden.
• Grow in a large, well-drained patio container where the flowers and scented leaves are easy to enjoy.
• Use as a loose, low edging beside a sunny path, allowing space for stems to spread.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Mediterranean, Dry gravel garden, Pollinator garden, Sensory garden and Low-maintenance.

Plant it with: Lavender, Catmint, Yarrow, Gaura, Santolina and Blue fescue.

Wildlife: Flowers attract bees and, where present in the Americas, hummingbirds. The long flowering season provides nectar well into autumn.

• Winter root rot or crown loss in wet soil: improve drainage, keep mulch clear of the crown and avoid winter watering unless the soil is genuinely dry.
• Frost-damaged stems: leave them until spring, then cut back to living buds; shelter pots before severe frost.
• Aphids on soft shoots: wash them off with water and encourage ladybirds and other predators.
• Leggy growth with few flowers: provide more sun, reduce feeding and shorten shoots in spring.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. No particular part is established as poisonous, but safety information specific to this cultivar is limited; do not treat it as a substitute for culinary sage or encourage pets to eat it.

• Autumn sage (Salvia greggii)

  Usually has narrower leaves with smooth margins, whereas Hot Lips has broader, lightly toothed leaves. Flower colour alone is unreliable, and hybrids can blur the distinction.

• Amistad sage (Salvia 'Amistad')

  Makes a taller plant with much larger leaves and deep purple flowers held in dark calyces, rather than the small red-and-white flowers of Hot Lips.

Salvia comes from the Latin salvare, meaning to heal, microphylla means small-leaved, and 'Hot Lips' refers to the red lower lip of its bicoloured flowers.

Propagation. Take softwood cuttings in late spring or early summer, or semi-ripe cuttings in late summer, and root in a free-draining medium. Cuttings preserve the cultivar; seedlings may not retain its flower pattern.

Accepted botanical name

Salvia microphylla

In the US and Canada

Introduced in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Arizona, Guatemala, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast and Mexico Southwest.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.