Salvia microphylla ‘Hotlips’: is a small bushy subshrub, 1mH x 1mW for a sunny position, with red and white flowers. Flowering all year, attracting bees and other insects.
Salvia microphylla ‘Hotlips’: is one of the few Salvias that has variegated flowers.
Flowers: are a microphylla type. The hood is white often with a red tip and red stigma. The bottom lobes are both white and red; the throat is white and the bottom lobe is red.
Often when flowering after being trimmed, the flowers can appear just as white or just as a red colour, but will gradually become bi coloured. It will flower the whole year in a sunny position.
Calyces: are a bright green, ribbed, often with coloured pointed tips.
Leaves; are a microphylla type leaf with the veins clearly showing, a bright green colour, a cordate shape with a pointed apex, thin textured with small rounded crenations along the margins.
Salvia microphylla ‘Hotlips’: is a fascinating shrub with it’s red and white flowers. As this is a dense bush, it clips very well, so can be grown as a hedge or border along a path and watch all the bees or in front of other taller evergreen shrubs.
Plant in front of a taller dark blue or vivid purple coloured perennials to compliment and contrast with that colour red. Only plant near other bright red shrubs and perennials, but not near crimson coloured plants.
Bees, moths and butterflies and other insects really enjoy this plant as they can visit any time of year and find flowers.
This is a tough, hardy Salvia, that is able to flower through out the whole year in a sunny position. As the plant is so dense and grows quickly, it should be cut down at least twice a year to rejuvenate the plant and to keep it in shape. The flowers will be back within 3-4 weeks.
As S. ‘Hotlips’ gradually expands by way of suckers, it may be necessary to dig around the circumference and remove any unwanted growths.
Clean out any dead stems, feed and mulch well to keep the root area cool in summer.
Propagated: easily by tip cuttings any time of the year.