Hot Lips

I first heard about this little cutie from a volunteer-ish type person at the UC Botanical Garden who was kind enough to share conversation about salvias. She enthusiastical professed love of the Hot Lips, a versatile, drought tolerant beauty with a wonderful scent and flowers that open in shades of pearly white to painted bright red. She kindly offered a cutting, but the garden was in Mendocino and she stopped showing up on Sunday mornings, our prime time.

A couple of years later, the Garden had an offering at the Spring plant sale which I snatched up (okay - I walked back and forth a couple of times before deciding). As with most salvias, it thrives in dappled shade - even though most tags recommend full sun - and likes to be cut back hard.

They take a couple of years to settle, typically looking leggy until one day, you realize it's taken over the entire bed you better do something quick before plants you like get completely smothered.

Not long after we planted ours, I was delighted to see one outside the Hayward PD. This year, it's featured in planters all along PW Market. Though I'm not terribly fond of "landscaping plants", it's a thrill to see plants I - and the hummingbirds - love being used in public spaces.