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Description

Scarlet and white flowers, fragrant foliage and five months of colour make this much-loved Salvia a superb patio and border choice.

Salvia 'Hot Lips' boasts masses of bright, two-tone blooms from early summer through to the first frosts. The flowers shift with the weather, with cooler spells often producing more white and hotter periods encouraging stronger red tones, giving the display a lively, changing character through the season.

This bushy perennial works beautifully in sunny borders, patio pots and mixed summer planting. Its aromatic green foliage adds extra appeal, while the flower-packed stems help create a relaxed, colourful look without demanding complicated care.

Recognised by the RHS as both an Award of Garden Merit variety and a Plant for Pollinators, 'Hot Lips' offers proven performance and excellent wildlife value. Bees and other beneficial insects love the blooms, bringing movement and life into the garden. It dies back in autumn before returning with fresh growth in spring, where conditions suit.

Supplied as an established plant in a 9cm pot, ready for planting.

Top Tips

To prolong flowering remove the flower spikes as soon as the blooms start to fade.

Care Information

Planting Advice for Salvia 'Hot Lips':

Salvias grow best in well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade, avoid excessively exposed areas and waterlogged soils.
Before planting, prepare the soil by digging over and removing any weeds. Incorporate some well-rotted manure to enrich the soil if necessary.
When planting a number of perennials, arrange them on the surface so you can see how they will look before planting.
Next use a trowel or spade to create a hole just deep and wide enough to set in the rootball.
The aim is to bury just the roots, leaving the bases of the stems (when in growth in summer) or the shoots (in spring) above ground.
Firm back around the soil, using your hand for small clumps and your heel on larger areas.
Water in well to settle the soil and prevent desiccation.

Aftercare advice for Hot Lips:

Feed and water regularly until plants are fully established.
Although perennial, this Hot Lips will require some winter protection outdoors in the form of a straw mulch and if growing it in containers, move to a cold greenhouse or conservatory to prevent the cold from penetrating to the roots.
In spring, apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted garden compost or manure around the base of the plant.

Pruning Advice for Salvia:

Prune lightly in late spring when new growth appears to remove dead stems and to maintain a bushy shape

Delivery Information

Our experienced team at the nursery will always carefully package and send your plants nursery fresh in the perfect condition to thrive once you receive and plant them. Although most plants are extremely tough and will not be affected by all but the most extreme of weather conditions, we always avoid dispatching the most perishable plants if extreme frosts or heat is forecast. We also avoid dispatching orders over Bank Holiday weekends.

Please allow us 3-5 working days to dispatch your order. If you have ordered a 'pre-order' item, these will be sent out as soon as possible after the quoted dispatch date and we generally ship your entire order with any pre-ordered items. Once your order has been dispatched, we will send you an email with details on how you can track it.

We send most of our orders via a fully tracked courier service with Yodel. We will send you a tracking link as soon as your order has been dispatched. To avoid perishable items being stuck at depots and deteriorating, we will not require a signature on delivery, and we ask out couriers to leave your item in a safe place ad your delivery address.

*Please note, once your item has been delivered, we cannot be held responsible for loss or theft from your delivery address. If you have delivery instruction and require our courier to leave your item in a specific place, please let us know - there is an option to leave a message for the courier at the checkout.

For smaller and single-item orders, we may send these via the post with Royal Mail - Tracking will not be available for orders sent via this method.

**Please note, we cannot guarantee delivery on a certain day or time. Delivery to outlying postcode areas may take 1-2 days longer, dependent on your location.

For all orders, a small delivery fee of £4.99 will be charged or spend over £49.99 for FREE Delivery!

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