Salvia "Hot Lips"

Why does Salvia "Hot Lips" lose the 'hot" part and turn to plain white only flowers? Not red on any flowers anymore. Does it need to be cut back more often or is this just standard and it should be treated more as very short lived perennial?

Apparently it varies with the weather. I had not paid attention closely to notice, only that it does change, but it's mentioned elsewhere online that it tends to be all white in the summer, all red in winter and the red/white coloration in spring and autumn. Having said that, mine are currently showing both colors and it's summer, so don't know if that holds true...lol....

I think it depends somewhat on temperature, when it's very hot mine will sometimes be more white than when the weather's cooler. Although we've had some hot weather this year and mine is still both colors. But your bicolor should come back, even in the past when mine has gone more white it always goes back to bicolor eventually.

mine doesn't change. It is also most definitely on a hummingbird flight map!

I was looking at mine today and noticed that it had all white flowers except one and it was red/white. It also has gotten very large and was going to ask if I can cut it back soon.
Sherry, this is the one you gave me last year.

Donna

maybe mine is losing lips!!!!
I cut mine back hard a few times a season. The hummers seem to like the new growth best.
A.

Donna, I'm glad you've still got yours and I was wondering the same thing. I'm forever coming across various bits of info and writing them down...yesterday while cleaning off my desk of these zillion pieces of paper, I came across a note that I'd written down from somewhere saying to cut the microphyllas back to 12" at mid-summer. That seems rather radical for micros that are now 3'...anybody else got an input on this? I'll ask over on the salvia forum.

I don't know that I can bring myself to take them back to 12'...I will on the younger, smaller ones, but think maybe on the 3 footers to take them back by half...what do you think, Annie? More than that? I guess I'll be pruning salvias today....thy were looking leggy anyway...

I do whack mine back every so often--not every year though and I have a really hard time bringing myself to do it when they're blooming! Trouble is they bloom almost the entire year except a couple months in winter, and you're not supposed to cut them back in winter because they have hollow stalks and then water can get in and rot them. So normally I do it every couple years when they start to get really overgrown looking.

That's my problem, too, Liz....I don't want to cut back now...they're blooming! However, they are looking leggy, so, I'm off to sniffle while cutting them back.

I'm with you! I have a 'Dancing Dolls' that I really need to cut back, I've let it get way too overgrown but it's my absolute favorite and I haven't been able to bring myself to prune it yet. One of these days!

prune it!
it will reward you doublefold!!!!
(im just trying to help)
A.

OK, I'll prune my salvias too, so we'll all be in the same boat!

Rich just answered Sherry's question in the salvia forum and he said if the plants are actively growing then it's OK to prune now, but if you don't water your garden a ton and they are semi-dormant he said it's not a good idea. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/877727/ I'm planning to use that as an excuse not to prune mine yet! LOL

Well, I need to take cuttings anyway and mine are being adequately watered, we're not as hot as usual...so I'm cutting them back. Upon close inspection, they really do need it. Glad you brought this up,Donna. I think the ones that are looking good will get selectively pruned..... not quite as drastic. My Dancing Dolls don't really need it right now either. I got a new one called "Shell Dancer" last week that is a two-tone and really nice also. From Suncrest (ppaf)

I just got that one too! LOL I found it a couple weeks ago at one of my favorite nurseries, and it just jumped right into my cart!

Until they sell their own nursery and leave for Hawaii, Andy Maycen is working at a nursery close to me and doing the salvia ordering, so he's been really nice to let me know when they're getting in something I might want. As if I need anyone helping me find more to buy......anyway, a couple of weeks ago they got Shell Dancer, verona and an un-named one that hs purple tinted leaves, plus a Dancing Flame that I had to replace. I was thrilled to see the Shell Dancer! I'm hoping they get some more goodies in soon that I don't have. I really hate not being able to go to the Summit and see what seeds and plants might be available.

We were over there Monday, Sherry, but Andy was busy with customers. Got a couple of great looking pots!

Although quite a few nurseries say business is slow, Plant World seems to be staying busy.

Mine went totally red over the summer (year 2) and is now reverting back to having white with lips! It's about 70% red still.

My apologies for butting into the CA forum, but I saw "hotlips" and it has perplexed me all summer!

This message was edited Sep 12, 2008 9:31 PM

me too Jenks (altho it was my OR garden) hot lips came back red (after pruning in Feb) , but after a few weeks was blooming in FULL lippy splendor !

Interesting, maybe the colder zones have a different effect ?

Sherry,
When can I cut this one back? It has gotten so big over this past month and is creeping into all the other flowers right now.

D.

Cool! I'm thrilled that it's done so well. Everything grows well at your place. I'd be much happier at the beach myself. Now is a good time to cut back. I would think especially with your weather you don't have the problem of it being too hot and stressful for cutting back. I have to admit that I'm having to learn to make myself cut things back. Hard for me to do, but the plant performs better for having been trimmed. I've been cutting the salvias back by about 1/3 depending on how the plant is doing. I think there are those who recommend cutting back even more. I grow a lot of pennisetum and Sunset has started recommending cutting them back twice a year, once in Sept.and I can't make myself do that when they're in their prime..lol... As a matter of fact, I just cut my Hot Lips back about 2 weeks ago. It was looking pretty leggy and I have a bunch more to cut back this week that I haven't gotten to yet.

Thanks Sherry, I will cut it back by a 1/3 rd today. I was hoping you would say it's ok.

D.

I have some salvias that i started from cuttings last season. they are one long droopy stem with new growth starting in many places along it. Should i cut these back and how far? they are a sort of peachy/yellow. all my salvias get really leggy and pruning them always seems to just delay flowering for a long time. maybe i'm cutting back too much?

I think you are supposed to cut them back at the end of fall or during the winter?

I wouldn't cut back yours yet. NOt that I know a lot about salvias! But a single stem? I would wait until it's like a bush. I divided mine into several plants a few weeks ago and it started out as a single stem year before last....

Depends on what salvia it is. When do they bloom? You might try posting pics on the Salvia Forum and see what advice the experts over there have to offer.

Have you tried pinching them back to force growth laterally?

And are they getting enough sun? I have a few that get a little more shade than the others, and the ones that are in a shadier spot tend to get leggier than the ones that have the sun beating down on them all day.

They probably need more sun but because they were still rooting these past months I had them in a bit of shade. They are probably good enough now to put them in a larger pot and then into the sun. I could post a picture. I have this problem with some of the plants I start from cuttings (like abutilon, and some vines). They are just kind of spare. Maybe I'm just impatient and it takes a couple growing seasons with pinching back to get a nursery size full looking plant. Not like the instant gratification of starting brugs from cuttings.

I'm not good at cuttings. I was given a S. Anthony Parker that was blooming beautifully until a gopher chopped it off above ground. I managed to get a cutting off of it that is now growing on the window sill but was getting very leggy. I pinched it and now the lower growth is starting to catch up. That's why I mentioned it.

The Salvia folks in that forum really are experts. Also, wcgypsy might poke in here if she sees the thread. She knows her Salvias!

Oh, please! I'm not that knowledgeable...LOL! I'm learning as I go along and constantly asking for advice from those who do know, and are generous enough to share their experience with me.......

So how far back should I cut them back? They are about a foot long in a 4". Foliage very similar to hotlips just light yellow/peach in color. I read somewhere that salvias "resent" hard prunning. This is what they seem to feel when i prune them, hehe.