Create Your Garden

Salvia ‘Hot Lips’ (Sage)

Sage 'Hot Lips', Salvia x jamensis 'Hot Lips', Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips'

AGM Award
Salvia Hot Lips, Sage 'Hot Lips', Salvia x jamensis 'Hot Lips', Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips', Red perennial, Red Sage, Bicolor Salvia, Bicolor Sage
Salvia Hot Lips, Sage 'Hot Lips', Salvia x jamensis 'Hot Lips', Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips', Red perennial, Red Sage, Bicolor Salvia, Bicolor Sage

Noted for its pretty bicolor flowers, Salvia ‘Hot Lips’ is an evergreen perennial that will reward you with a profusion of eye-catching, brilliant red and white flowers from early summer to frost. Borne in loose terminal racemes, the blossoms are lipstick red in early summer, turn vivid red and pure white in mid-late summer before changing to white when the days shorten. Enjoying a long blooming season, they rise above a handsome bush of small, ovate, aromatic green leaves. The very attractive flower stalks are of great aesthetic appeal in beds or borders and attract scores of butterflies, hummingbirds and beneficial insects.

  • Recipient of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society.
  • Grows vigorously up to 3 ft. tall and across (90 cm).
  • Thrives in full sun, in moderately fertile, moist, well-drained soils. Best flower production in full sun but can tolerate light partial shade. Drought tolerant once established.
  • Low maintenance, this Salvia is perfect for beds and borders, and well suited to coastal gardens, cottage gardens or containers.
  • Deer and rabbit resistant
  • Propagate by basal cuttings or softwood cuttings in spring or early summer or semi-hardwood cuttings in late summer or autumn with bottom heat

Salvia: Plant Care and Growing Guide


Here are some tips on how to plant and grow salvia successfully

Requirements

Hardiness 8 - 12
Heat Zones 9 - 10
Climate Zones 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Lamiaceae
Genus Salvia
Common names Sage
Exposure Full Sun, Partial Sun
Season of Interest Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall
Height 2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)
Spread 2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)
Spacing 36" (90cm)
Maintenance Low
Water Needs Average
Soil Type Chalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Fragrant, Plant of Merit, Showy, Evergreen
Tolerance Drought, Deer, Rabbit
Attracts Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Garden Uses Beds And Borders, Patio And Containers, Wall-Side Borders
Garden Styles Coastal Garden, Mediterranean Garden, City and Courtyard, Gravel and Rock Garden, Informal and Cottage
How Many Plants
Do I Need?
Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas
Salvia (Sage)
Guides with
Salvia (Sage)
Not sure which Salvia (Sage) to pick?
Compare Now

Alternative Plants to Consider

Salvia nemorosa ‘Perfect Profusion’ (Sage)
Salvia involucrata ‘Bethellii’ (Rosy-Leaf Sage)
Salvia Skyscraper Pink (Sage)
Salvia Skyscraper Orange (Sage)
Salvia ‘Little Kiss’ (Sage)
Salvia coccinea ‘Summer Jewel Lavender’ (Scarlet Sage)

Recommended Companion Plants

Sedum ‘Matrona’ (Stonecrop)
Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’ (Sneezeweed)
Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ (Feather Reed Grass)
Perovskia ‘Blue Spire’ (Russian Sage)

Find In One of Our Guides or Gardens

Stunning Blue Flowers to Enhance Your Garden’s Beauty
Add a Splash of Color: Perfect Flowering Shrubs for Small Gardens
30 Best Spring Flowers to Spruce up Your Garden
How to Create an Enchanting Butterfly Garden
For the Love of Butterflies: Best Flowers to Attract them to Your Garden
6 Reasons You Should Create a Butterfly Garden
Salvia (Sage)
Best Annual Flowers and Plants to Spruce up Your Garden
Hummingbird
Best Annual Flowers and Plants for Full Sun
Companion Planting With Herbs
Wonderful Plants That Repel Insects
Great Rose Companion Plants: Nepeta, Salvia and Lavandula
Hardy Perennial Salvias (Sage)
Salvia guaranitica (Blue Anise Sage)
Plants with Purple Flowers to Add Charm to Your Garden
Salvia: Plant Care and Growing Guide
Best Flowers to Attract Hummingbirds
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.
Buy Plants

Requirements

Hardiness 8 - 12
Heat Zones 9 - 10
Climate Zones 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Lamiaceae
Genus Salvia
Common names Sage
Exposure Full Sun, Partial Sun
Season of Interest Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall
Height 2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)
Spread 2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)
Spacing 36" (90cm)
Maintenance Low
Water Needs Average
Soil Type Chalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Fragrant, Plant of Merit, Showy, Evergreen
Tolerance Drought, Deer, Rabbit
Attracts Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Garden Uses Beds And Borders, Patio And Containers, Wall-Side Borders
Garden Styles Coastal Garden, Mediterranean Garden, City and Courtyard, Gravel and Rock Garden, Informal and Cottage
How Many Plants
Do I Need?
Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas
Salvia (Sage)
Guides with
Salvia (Sage)
Not sure which Salvia (Sage) to pick?
Compare Now

Gardening Ideas

Plant Calculator

How many Salvia ‘Hot Lips’ (Sage) do I need for my garden?

Input your garden space dimensions

Your Shopping List

Plant Quantity
Salvia ‘Hot Lips’ (Sage) N/A Buy Plants

Please Login to Proceed

You Have Reached The Free Limit, Please Subscribe to Proceed

Subscribe to Gardenia

To create additional collections, you must be a paid member of Gardenia
  • Add as many plants as you wish
  • Create and save up to 25 garden collections
Become a Member

Plant Added Successfully

You have Reached Your Limit

To add more plants, you must be a paid member of our site Become a Member

Update Your Credit
Card Information

Cancel

Create a New Collection

Sign Up to Our Newsletter

    You have been subscribed successfully

    Join Gardenia.net

    Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

    Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

    Join now and start creating your dream garden!

    Join Gardenia.net

    Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

    Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

    Join now and start creating your dream garden!

    Find your Hardiness Zone

    Find your Heat Zone

    Find your Climate Zone