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Fantastic striking plant but it is just visiting here. I was given it and I will
give it away again, it is totally unsuited to my shady, damp garden. Following the RHS trial of salvias derived from Mexican species, William Dyson wrote in 'The Plantsman': "Gardeners tend to either love or loathe the gaudy red and white flowers of this cultivar. I personally find it very difficult to place, other than in a container or in association with neighbouring dark blue flowers. However, there is no escaping the fact that this is an exceptional garden plant and one of the hardiest in the trial. An added bonus, although some may regard this as an irritation, is the seemingly ramdom shift between red, bicoloured and white flowers. On my nursery I usually find that the first blooms of the season are all red, those in the middle of the season are bicoloured, and those from late summer onwards are all white. Although sometimes listed as a cultivar of S. microphylla, it might be a hybrid of that species. However, it does not apear to have any S. greggii in it, so it should not be attributed to S. x jamensis." Jeremy Bartlett says in his blog: "Salvia ‘Hotlips’ was first made available to gardeners in 2002 by Stybing Arboretum, now known as San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum. The original plants were brought to the United States from Oaxaca, Mexico, after a housewarming party given by Richard Turner, the editor of Pacific Horticulture Magazine. His Mexican maid, Alta-Gracia, had provided flowers from her garden for the party, including those of this lovely plant. |
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| 25th September 2014 | ||