Hot Lip Salvia reverted to solid reds and whites
21 days ago
last modified: 17 days ago
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- 21 days ago
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OK to cut back Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips'
Comments (17)I have several Hot Lips in a flower bed at an office in SOuthern California (Orange County, near the ocean where it really doesn't get very hot (85 or so max), generally has cool nights (in the 60s) and the flowers turn all white in mid summer, so perhaps heat is not the only factor changing the flower color. Perhaps day length is a factor, too? Mine grow as many-stemmed shrubs, and I cut them back to a foot or so tall several times each year because they have only a limited amount of space. After cutting back, they grow many stems and produce a nice wave of flowers, then continue flowering and getting taller. Eventually, after perhaps 5 months. maybe more (I don't really keep records) they start becoming too tall, looking ratty, and I cut them back. They are very resilient to cutting back, and I wouldn't worry about cutting them back too far. I normally leave very few leaves on them after cutting. although there are a large number of nodes left where leaves emerge. I think normally I cut mine back twice each year, once in winter and once in mid-summer. Keep in mind that my spot never sees frost and they actively grow all year long. I think if I had a shorter season I might cut back only once, sometime in the late winter when the tops had frozen or when I know what type of winter damage I would see that year....See MoreHot Lips Salvia - not Flowering
Comments (22)I have the most gorgeous huge mounds of two colored Hot Lips, easily 3 ft. tall and as wide, growing in the worst sandy soil you can find, and dry as a desert. I piled leaves and horse manure around each plant and sprinkle with water once a day. It's been close to 90 here for several weeks so the conditions are not great. If the plants are not blooming well, I sprinkle dry MG Bloom Booster around outer edges of plants, around leaf line so as not to burn. They are happily putting out bi-colored blooms right now. If I ignore them, the blooming will slow down and only show red or white blooms. They like a bit of attention here with such poor conditions. The bees like Hot Lips but the BF's and hummers don't bother with them....See MoreSalvia Hot Lips
Comments (3)Depends on where you live and plant location(in the garden). Mine has been solid red orange for some time but our temps are up around 105. Hot Lips will change daily it is a fun Salvia trying to guess what color it will be. Art...See MoreHot Lips Salvia
Comments (10)We get an occasional day down to 0F, but generally not a sustained period of time down to zero, in Oklahoma anyway. Generally, the lowest temp we get is down to 15F, and even that is for short periods of time - maybe 2 to 3 days. Sustained freezing temps would be what I'd worry about, and in your zone that is probably the norm. At those temps, the roots would freeze, and the plant would most likely die. Our soil rarely freezes in Oklahoma, but there are rare exceptions to that rule, and it depends on what kind of winter protection you provide. Last winter we had an abnormally cold winter, and several of my borderline zone 7 plants did not come back, e.g., Lantana 'Miss Huff', and I experienced significant die back on my Passiflora 'Lavendar Lady' (it did come back very, very late - July - in a different spot). Also, with Salvias that like drier, well-drained soil. the problem in your zone would probably also include freezing cold, wet roots. Our zone 7 is considered a "temperate" zone. Meaning, our winters generally don't get cold enough that the soil freezes, and sometimes we can "push" tender plants hardy only to zone 8 with winter protection. I have heard of some folks in colder zones that are able to winter over zone 7 plants by heavy, heavy mulching. But these people were in zones 5 to 6. In 3 to 4, I just doubt that it can be done, unless you experience an extremely mild winter. It's all kind of "iffy". My zone 7 Salvias would probably not have survived last year's winter due to the cold, wet conditions. Wet cold means death for a lot of borderline, temperate plants. IMHO, I would definitely move 'Hot Lips' indoors for the winter. Susan...See More- 21 days ago
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- 19 days ago
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