Salvia microphylla ‘cherry lips’
€9.50
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Description
Quick Facts
- Common Name: Cherry Lips Sage
- Botanical Name: Salvia microphylla (or Salvia × jamensis) ‘Cherry Lips’
- Plant Type: Bushy, aromatic sub-shrub / perennial
- Mature Height: 60–90cm
- Mature Spread: 60–90cm
- Flowering Period: June to October (often to first frosts)
- Flower Colour: Two-tone cherry-red and white (“lipstick” bicolour)
- Foliage: Small, mid-green aromatic leaves
- Hardiness: Hardy in mild UK & Ireland gardens; best with shelter and sharp drainage in colder/exposed spots
- Soil Requirements: Well-drained soil; tolerates poorer soils once established
- Aspect: Full sun (best flowering)
- Maintenance: Low
Description
Salvia ‘Cherry Lips’ is pure joy in the border—months of bicolour flowers that look like they’ve been dipped in cherry-red paint, set against neat, aromatic foliage. It starts flowering in early summer and just keeps going, often right through to the first frosts, bringing that long-season colour that makes a garden feel generous.
The flowers are a true two-tone: bright cherry-red and clean white, dancing above a bushy, softly mounded plant that sits beautifully among grasses, roses, and late-summer perennials. It’s also a magnet for pollinators—bees will visit constantly, and in warmer spots you’ll often see butterflies too.
Give it sun and good drainage and it’s wonderfully easy: a plant that looks high-impact, but asks for very little in return.
Caragh Garden Notebook
Planting:
Plant in spring (best in cooler areas) or early autumn. Space plants 45–60cm apart. Choose a sunny, sheltered spot with free-draining soil. Water in well and mulch lightly (keeping mulch away from the stem).
Plant in spring (best in cooler areas) or early autumn. Space plants 45–60cm apart. Choose a sunny, sheltered spot with free-draining soil. Water in well and mulch lightly (keeping mulch away from the stem).
Soil Preparation:
Salvias hate sitting wet in winter. Improve heavy soil with grit and compost, or plant on a slight mound/raised bed for better drainage. In pots, use a gritty, free-draining compost mix.
Salvias hate sitting wet in winter. Improve heavy soil with grit and compost, or plant on a slight mound/raised bed for better drainage. In pots, use a gritty, free-draining compost mix.
Watering:
Water regularly while establishing. Once settled, ‘Cherry Lips’ is fairly drought-tolerant, but it will flower best with occasional deep watering during prolonged dry spells.
Water regularly while establishing. Once settled, ‘Cherry Lips’ is fairly drought-tolerant, but it will flower best with occasional deep watering during prolonged dry spells.
Pruning (simple + worth it):
- Spring: when new growth starts, cut back last year’s stems to healthy shoots (don’t cut into old, bare wood if there’s no green showing).
- Summer: deadhead or lightly trim to keep it blooming and tidy.
- Autumn: leave the top growth on over winter in colder gardens (it helps protect the crown), then do the main cut-back in spring.
Pests & Problems:
Generally trouble-free. The main risk is winter wet and cold winds. If plants look tired after winter, wait—salvias can be slow to wake up, then shoot away once warmth arrives.
Generally trouble-free. The main risk is winter wet and cold winds. If plants look tired after winter, wait—salvias can be slow to wake up, then shoot away once warmth arrives.
Design Notes:
Perfect for sunny borders, gravel gardens, and pots. Gorgeous with ornamental grasses, lavender, nepeta, roses, echinacea, verbena bonariensis, and achillea. The red-and-white flowers also look brilliant with deep purples and soft pinks.
Perfect for sunny borders, gravel gardens, and pots. Gorgeous with ornamental grasses, lavender, nepeta, roses, echinacea, verbena bonariensis, and achillea. The red-and-white flowers also look brilliant with deep purples and soft pinks.
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