It would help a lot if we knew about your weather and location. The upper Midwest is still wet and cold, as far as I know, and this would become a problem. You would get a lot of green growth. Also, most of these plants need to get to a certain size to flower, as well as an optimum temperature.

This is why a variety of sages are needed for a hummer garden, since weather, especially in the last few years, has been highly variable, resulting in some pretty strange blooming times.

This year, I had some rather large S. gesneriflora bloom for me inside my cold winter kitchen all the way into late April, after they were moved into my greenhouse.

I am in Virginia - Tidewater area. I am in zone 7. I had a few flowers at the beginning of the season but now I only have one or two. Last year, the plant was filled with flowers. I would say that the plant is full-sized. It's over a foot tall and a couple of feet wide. We have had lots of days in the 90's. I read on the interent that I probably should have cut it back in late winter which I didn't do. Do you think it would help, if I cut it back now? I would say that we have had sufficient rain lately.

Laurarose:
Sounds like you did everything right cutting it back before
winter can be deadly. I would look at you nutrient content
N-P-K. being in a area of higher rain fall will leach nutrients out of you soil.fyi: Your plant last year most likely was grown in a cold frame or heated greenhouse at the growers.
They put these plants on a regular fertilizing schedule so they can get to market quicker. In ground is going to be different and this effects blooming too . We are at 100 degrees here and blooming at 3' tall. I will let Rich chime in being he is a lot closer to your area.
Art

laurarose,

You are just the lady I need to see for advice. :-)

I live in zone 7b, central Arkansas, and I'd like to try a 'hot lips' in my raised bed garden. I have one in a pot on the deck that will go into the greenhouse this fall but would really like to plant one in my hummer bed. Apparently your hot lips overwintered OK in your zone 7. Last winter was exceptionally cold here but our average low temps are in mid 20's for short periods of time. Do your winters ever see those temps? I'm very encouraged by your success with this plant.

Mary

Yes my hot lips flowered ok early on then all this heat that we are stll having although I still red, red/white and white just not as many flowers.

Also on the subject of hardiness and surviving the colder winters. Heres what I do/or have done the last two winters with 100% return , I am in a zone 6a. My main garden is 10x25'. After a frost or two usually early nov. I cut everything down to 2-4" and cover the entire thing with heavy plastic sealing the edges as best I can with sheperds hooks etc. Some also use bags of leaves either before or after covering. Some use a tarp to cover. I just use heavy plastic no bags and still get 100% return. Following is a list of some of the plants in this garden.

3 salvia blue ensign
2 salvia black and blue
1 salvia argentine skies
6 salvia greggii [pink preference, alba, pink and 1 hybrid
2 salvia hot lips
2 agastache rupestris
1 agastache tutti frutti

there are more plants in this garden but were added this year so cant be counted. Also there is one exception. A single david verity plant did not return, possibly I covered too late for it.

This is a followup since I need to give credit to the author of this covering method and so you can understand it in more detail. Here is the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: over winter cover method

My S. 'Hot Lips' is not blooming right now. While it does have sporadic bloom, I feel like it might be the extreme heat we are suffering here in Oklahoma. We have had 34 days of over 100 degree temps so far, and the summer is not over yet. I thought though that Salvia could tolerate the heat better than a lot of xeric plants.

The 'Cherry Queen' is blooming off and on, as is the Lady in Red, Black & Blue, and darcyi is now starting to bloom - I love, love, love this Salvia!

I thought that Salvias were one of those genus of plants that does not need fertilizing????? I have never fertilized mine. Should I begin a program of phosphorous/potassium fertilizing?

Susan

Susanlynne48
Many of my salvias are not in bloom not that anything else is either. Mainly S.coccinea LiR,White,forest fire and Coral Nymph some S guarnitica B&B,S. darcyi Hot lips No bloom.
We are at 44 day's over 100. Your S .microphylla "Hot Lips"
is a mountainous plant so once temperatures fall a little or
rain fall returns it should be back in bloom. Most Salvia's
except annual species don't need much fertilization. This
varies in different climates due to nutrient leaching.
Art

I think I just feed them early in the season and not much after that. But watering is essential especially during heat waves if you can.

I planted 4 new plants this spring and they took a while to get established. When they got to about 24" they started to bloom, but they were red or white, not two-tone. This past week, after the hurricane, they are gorgeous. They are loaded with multi-colored flowers and they appear to have gotten even fuller.

Mother Nature played some weird weather games with us this season. I am in Zone 6B.

Thank you, Art! You are always so helpful. I will wait to fertilize til next spring because I don't think it would be good to do so now. I usually use Espoma Flower Tone because my garden is a little acidic due to the pine trees. I use various Espoma products for my plants.

My S. darcyi is really blooming well right now, and the hummers just adore it. It is one that is not as bothered by the Southern Pink Moth, which is just horrible this year in my garden. I cannot use BT because I have a butterfly and moth garden. Does anyone else have a problem with these moths? I need to do a separate post on this. I got virtually notbing from S. guaranitica 'Black and Blue' because the moths just eat it to pieces. I have read that some folks think it is such a pretty little moth, but it is highly destructive to Salvia.

My Hot Lips is still not blooming well. We just got a break in the weather beginning last week, and another break in store for us starting tomorrow where we will some much needed rain. Perhaps this will encourage some bloom. S. 'Cherry Queen' is not blooming much either. Both producing 1 or 2 occasional blooms.

We are now at 63 days of 100+ days this summer. Poor Texas is much worse. But I still wouldn't wish our Oklahoma summer on anyone.

Susan

I have a two year old Campsis hot lip plant it has nevered bloomed....help! It grows like crazy but no flowers, I have it in a pot so I was wondering if this could be the problem?

Hi I'm in zone 9 also once beautiful hot lips now barely blooming. Am I correct in thinking it needs cutting back and consistent fertilizing to bloom? Thx!

Miracle Gro Bloom Booster will kick just about anything into blooming. If I don't need to boost size of plant, but just want flowers that is my go to. guaranteed to work.

I always wait until spring and then watch for the plants to start leafing-out; then I prune back to the bottom best two on each stem. It is a bit too early to get very many blossoms.... unless you live in southern California.

Central Florida here

Thanks for the heads up on pruning and miracle grow bloom:)

I have the most gorgeous huge mounds of two colored Hot Lips, easily 3 ft. tall and as wide,

growing in the worst sandy soil you can find, and dry as a desert.

I piled leaves and horse manure around each plant and sprinkle with water once a day. It's been close to 90 here for several weeks so the conditions are not great.

If the plants are not blooming well, I sprinkle dry MG Bloom Booster around outer edges of

plants, around leaf line so as not to burn.

They are happily putting out bi-colored blooms right now. If I ignore them, the blooming will slow down and only show red or white blooms. They like a bit

of attention here with such poor conditions.

The bees like Hot Lips but the BF's and hummers don't bother with them.

A baby hummer checked out my Hot Lips early this morning, tried to sip on 2 or 3 blooms, then moved on to better salvias. First time I've ever seen one even test this plant.

Blooming . .

There are certain bees that actually take a bite out of the base of the Salvia flower and get to the nectar that way.... leaving nothing for other bees or hummers. The plants also don't get pollinated. Maybe your hummer said "Darn!" and went on to another plant hoping for one that hadn't been bitten.

cut it back