Wednesday 18 August 2010

'Hot lips' and the bee.......

I am really taken with Salvia 'hot lips'. I love her dainty habit and the way she dances in the breeze.
Her flowers are not consistent. Some are red, some are white, and some are pure 'hot lips' She is drought tolerant, and blooms all through summer and autumn, until the first frost.

The carder bees are smitten with 'hot lips'.............
She may just survive the winter, provided it is not as harsh as last year. I do hope so, I bought another two today........naughty girl!!

18 comments:

  1. Lovely flowers. I was given a salvia this summer and mine is an intense blue. I had always thought they came in just red. I hope to be able to keep mine till next year too. What were your new shrubs then?

    Jane x

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  2. Jane.....two more 'hot lips', they are a small shrub......a bit naughty, as I do not know if they will survive the winter, but just couldn't resist them......

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  3. Hi Cheryl
    Is there any way to overwinter them somewhere safe, or is this a 'take your chances' plant? It's beautiful, and the bees are grateful!

    I've been better behaved than you at the garden centre, leaving behind a Dahlia 'Happy Wink', though I've thought about it every day since. I wouldn't normally consider myself a dahlia fan, but it had purply black foliage and dusky pink flowers, almost as striking as your hot lips!
    Dan
    -x-

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  4. Hi My Naughty Friend !!
    I don't wonder why you got that plant it is a cutie...can't say I could have refused it either!! ; }
    Hope its a survior!!!

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  5. Lovely - I have 'Hot Lips' too! Mine made it through last winter without added protection although London is warmer than Kent. It's that East wind that cuts through everything!

    Laura

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  6. Hi Dan, I have put one in a very large oak tub, so I can put that into the greenhouse. They grow to around a metre high and wide.
    The other two I am chancing in the border, so it is risky......I may just cover them with fleece when the weather is really cold.

    'Happy Wink' sounds stunning. I have given up on dahlia's here, too much like hard work lifting them each winter. They are gorgeous though and make such a statement when planted en masse.....

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  7. Hi Grammie, it is a little naughty. I promised myself I would not buy anymore difficult plants....there you go, I am just too impulsive.

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  8. Hi Laura...I live in East Kent, so our winds are biting in the winter. I shall wrap them in fleece and keep my fingers crossed.

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  9. Hi Cheryl,

    Very nice indeed, I never would've known she was a Salvia! How wonderful :)

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  10. Tee hee you naughty girl. I love Hot Lips. You should get Black and Blue to go with her. He is handsome and the bees love him too.

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  11. Oh my what a darling.....
    I just love the way the bees go after her.
    A little naughty makes for a fun garden.
    Fun post too.
    Sherry

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  12. Hi Liz....I love the tiny blooms. My garden is always a little breezy in the summer months, the flowers dance in the borders. It really is very pretty.

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  13. Hi Lisa....I have not seen black and blue. One to look out for.

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  14. Dear Sherry, the pretty flowers do add a certain charm to the garden.....as long as the bees are happy, for me that is the best.

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  15. Hey Cheryl,

    We’ve had some breezes recently… Well, winds really. It certainly makes taking photos ‘interesting’… Try getting shots of a Butterfly on a Buddleja which is billowing around everywhere!!! Well, that’s what I was doing on Sunday! Heehee.
    I’ve also had to stake the blousy Gladioli in the new border… Out of all the bulbs I put in there, they’re the only ones to have come up, and also the only ones I didn’t mind if they didn’t make it!!! Typical :)

    I’ll look out for Hot Lips, and Black and Blue as Lisa mentioned…

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  16. I've never seen this particular cultivar of Salvia around here--what a striking bloom! The long stems remind me of the pink salvia I bought this spring...if I can find another one of these, I'd definitely buy it, too:)

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  17. Hi Cheryl. So appropriately named and hey a little bit of retail therapy is always good for the soul. FAB.

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  18. Never heard of this one, but it is clearly a charmer!

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