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Salvi Hotlips

Greenish Fingered GirlGreenish Fingered Girl Posts: 47
in Plants
Hey everyone 

ive got a Salvia Hotlips in the garden. It lost all of its leave during the harsh winter and some leaves have come back at the top but it’s very leggy looking at the bottom. Any advice?

Thanks 😃
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Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    dump it in the compost bin, well, I would anyway. 
    On a more serious note, assuming you like it. ;), cut it back hard and it'll shoot away again.
    Devon.
  • Greenish Fingered GirlGreenish Fingered Girl Posts: 47
    Haha yes I’ll cut it right back to base before I consider binning it. What conditions do they like to grow in? Sorry I’m learning still about the garden. 
  • Janie BJanie B Posts: 963
    Not keen on salvias, @Hostafan1?
    Lincolnshire
  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    Salvia Hot Lips are less fussy on soil conditions. But to ensure they thrive, create a free draining soil for them if you have heavy soil. Plant them in full sun.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    Janie B said:
    Not keen on salvias, @Hostafan1?
    Some of them I love, e.g salvia patens guanajuato, but the red/white combo of hot lips leaves me cold.
    Devon.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited May 2018
    Bumble is my favourite. Such great colour that doesn't sag.

    I think I lost two hotlips this winter. I'm still waiting to see if they will shoot at all. It's not looking good, with all the sun and nothing at all peeping through. (London)
  • Greenish Fingered GirlGreenish Fingered Girl Posts: 47
    Great, thanks so much for the advice! 😃
  • yarrow2yarrow2 Posts: 782
    I have two Hotlips which I at first thought were too showy - but the foliage aroma I absolutely love.  Only leaf growth at the moment but the herby type perfume is delicious when I'm pottering about nearby.  I've grown to love them and they are tough as old boots and have never minded being moved about.  I've never managed to get anything which looks particularly good planted along with them though - so have always had to opt for them to have a little space on their own.


  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    I had two hotlips. They had leaves on until the last lot of snow. I think that did for them. The leaves all fell off , which I expected, but even though I have lightly trimmed all the fine growth off the top, there appears to be nothing at all growing from lower down. The two Amistad I dug up and put in the greenhouse are shooting though, and on reflection, if I had to lose one, it would be the hot lips that would go.
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    depending on where you live Hotlips (that used to be my nickname at work by the way ) is not 100% hardy, if it gets really hot it reverts to one single colour.cut her hard back (I wont mind!)
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