We have plenty of it around the garden because, although it's not my favourite either, it just does so well, even in hot, dry summers. I had a few in tiny pots (10cm or so) that I left outside and they look better than the ones in the ground. They will have frozen solid because I didn't put the pots in a sheltered position but appear fine. The ones in the ground are a fair few years old and I can see lots of dead stems in them but some living branches.
I don't like the flower colour of Hot Lips either (or the other something & white bicolours) but I do like a lot of the single colours and they do very well here. They really thrive in dry conditions and sandy soil.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
One of the biggest problems is what to plant it with. Good ideas appreciate anyone?
My one is surrounded by the green of Foxgloves, a Vibernum and a crab apple tree. Hot Lips flowers until December and there are many bees around in November.
@Plantminded Good you have the vision to see what to plant with HotLips not at all easy. White is difficult as there are so many different tones. The red is also difficult, not a pure red, combine the two and it makes things difficult when placing in a border.
Salvia colours are so beautifully vivid but that can also be a problem when looking for things to plant them with. Verbena Bampton with it's dark leaves is a great idea it would be a happy combination with most salvias
Grasses are always a good way to break up clashes in a border if you are going for a calmer look as we both know.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
Thanks @Loxley, I hope so. I kept it in its 3 litre pot, but took real effort to keep it as dry as possible, only watering it slightly when -°c temperatures were looming. Reading various comments here, I am receiving the impression that had I planted it in the ground, it may have become excessively wet and frozen. I am hoping to prepare a raised bed to get it into during this summer. The long-flowering ability of this style of salvia make them very attractive to me, and I would not mind planting more this year.
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Thanks @GardenerSuze, ooh yes, a treat indeed! Some of the blue hues are really unusual, I don't think I have seen before. I am going to bookmark for later, I hope...just looking at them, I can feel the warm sun and sense blue skies already!
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@clematisdorset, have a look at So cool pale blue, Lavender dilly dilly and Blue Merced. I can highly recommend them. Norfolk Herbs are a good supplier
I agree with Lavender Dilly Dilly and Blue Merced for good light blues (I haven't grown So Cool Pale Blue). Lavender DD is particularly robust and reliable for me, and gets quite big - about 1m height and spread - from a fairly hard spring chop.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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I ♥ my garden.
White is difficult as there are so many different tones. The red is also difficult, not a pure red, combine the two and it makes things difficult when placing in a border.
Salvia colours are so beautifully vivid but that can also be a problem when looking for things to plant them with. Verbena Bampton with it's dark leaves is a great idea it would be a happy combination with most salvias
Grasses are always a good way to break up clashes in a border if you are going for a calmer look as we both know.