Sabine

Salvia microphylla ‘Hot Lips’

Salvia greggii; Baby sage; Graham’s sage; Blackcurrant sage

• 
  Easy care
• 
  Bright light
• 
  Pollinator friendly

• Sabine likes...
  • 
    A sunny spot

    She’ll grow best and produce the most flowers if you put her somewhere sunny. She’ll be ok in partial shade.

  • 
    Dry soil

    She copes really well with drought, so you can go light on the watering. Best not to let her dry out entirely.

  • 
    Haircuts

    Snip off flowers when they wilt (this is known as ‘deadheading’). This will encourage her to replace them with new ones.

• Quick facts

  Botanical name

  Salvia microphylla ‘Hot Lips’

  Nickname

  Baby sage; Graham’s sage; Blackcurrant sage 

  Plant type

  Perennial

  Plant height (including pot)

  40-50cm

  Pet/Baby safe?

  Yes 

  Nursery pot size

  17cm

• About salvias

  Salvias come in an enormous range of colours and sizes - there are over 900 species - and are found all over the world. They’re one of the most hard-working flowers you’ll find, producing blooms from early summer right into early winter. This variety is known as ‘Hot Lips’ because of its lipstick-red flowers.

  Salvias can live happily in almost any outdoor space, as long as it’s not fully shady. They don’t mind a stiff breeze, so they’re good for balconies. They thrive in dry conditions, so don’t need much watering and will be really happy in full sun. There’s really not a lot of attention required.

  Once your plant has finished flowering, hopefully as late as December, it will die back a little. Prune it back almost to the soil in early spring. This will encourage it to add lots of new growth, then lots of new flowers, as the weather warms up.

  Did you know?

  The best-known variety of salvia is edible sage, the kind you find in supermarkets and add to stuffing.