Salvia 'Hot Lips' (Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips'): Bicolor Red-and-White Blooms

Salvia 'Hot Lips' (Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips') is a showy, shrubby perennial with small, aromatic leaves and unique bicolor flowers—white with a bright red lower lip (or all red in cool weather, all white in extreme heat). It blooms from spring to frost, attracting hummingbirds and bees.

Habit

Forms a rounded, bushy plant 2–3 feet tall and wide. The stems are square (mint family). The foliage has a pleasant, fruity scent when crushed.

Culture

Full sun; well-drained soil. Drought-tolerant once established. Deadhead to prolong bloom. Prune hard in late winter. Hardy in zones 7–10; mulch in zone 7.

Taxonomy

• Family: Lamiaceae
• Genus: Salvia
• Species: microphylla
• Cultivar: 'Hot Lips'
• Synonym: Salvia microphylla