Salvia hot lips

How to grow Salvia hot lips – growing and care:

Prefer more than -2C as perennial, moist, well-drained soil, rich soil, mulch

How to care:
Winter care require over that plant in the base possible with wood chip or dead leaves

What is the best way to start growing?
Plant / Seed (care instruction bellow) / Vegetative reproduction- possible by bending a branch over and covering it with soil, or by cutting, the cutting possible to put in water and switch the water every few days or put the stem in soil better peat soil and better with root growth hormone, in both cutting methods better to do it in warm spring or in autumn in hardiness zone 10b-11 in half shade

Is it necessary to use vegetative reproduction?
No, easy to start from seeds and this plant is cultivar mostly if grown without other cultivars it will be the same as the as the mother plant

Difficulties or problems when growing:
Might be invasive

Planting season?
Spring to summer in hardiness zone 9, spring or autumn in hardiness zone 10b, if the summer not too much hot possible in summer, all year in hardiness zone 11, as annual plant in spring

Pests and diseases:
Aphids, spider mites

Pruning season:
All year

How to prune:
Just for design

Size of the plant?
0.7-1.2 m, 28-48 inches

Growth speed in optimal condition:
Medium growing

Water requirement:
Small amount of water / Average amount of water

Light conditions in optimal condition for growing:
Full Sun / Half Shade

Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant?
No

Growing is also possible in a planter / flower pot / containers:
Yes, when grow in container, size 10-20L (2.6-5.2 gallons), require small to average amount of water with well-drained soil and the water go out of the pot, better not to use bottom of pot, every few years to switch soil can be all or just part of the soil, soil need to be well ventilated and make enough hole in the containers with good drainage, can us in potting mix or peat soil with perlite or vermiculite.

Blooming information

Bloom season:
Entire year, less in the winter in colder climate

General information about the flower
Dancer flower, the flower shape its dancer body with dress, flowers change the color by the temperature in hot temperature the flower mostly with one color in spring and autumn can be in bicolor pink with white

Edible leaves

Leaves harvesting season:
All year in hardiness zone 11+ and in hardiness zone 9-10 or as annual from spring to autumn

How to harvest the leaves?
After the plant establish can with the stems

Information about leaves:
Leaves are oval the color light to dark green, the taste remind with imagination to pineapple

Uses of Salvia microphylla leaves:
Beverage, eat raw

How to grow Salvia microphylla hot lips from seeds

Sowing requirement:
Better to sow it in temperature of 20-25C (68-77F) possible in 15-29C (59-84F) but will take more time to germinate and less seeds will germinate

Saving and care seeds until sowing:
Dry and dark location better in root temperature or refrigerator

Sowing season:
Spring to summer in hardiness zone lower than 10a (include) but better in spring, autumn to winter in hardiness zone 10b+ spring, autumn or winter, and better not to sow it in hot summer days

How to plant:
Plant in sunny location until 25C (77F), temperature that will be above in half shade

Planting spacing:
30*40cm (12*16 inches)

Depth of Sowing:
3-6mm (0.2-0.4 inch)

Conditions for seeds germinate:
Moist soil, humidity, sunny location

Watering requires for Seeds:
Average amount of water, don’t let the soil dry and keep the soil moist

Germination time:
2-3 weeks in optimal condition but can take 5 weeks

Condition of seedling:
Moist soil, sunny location but if it’s in the summer need to increase the amount of water

Scientific name:

Salvia microphylla

Alternative names: Hot lips sage, Salvia hotlips, Baby sage