Doubt the utility room is going to be a success, better to plant them out. Down here there are outdoor ones that have lasted for years, although of course a sharp winter might take them out sometime. But they are not an expensive item.

I live in Birmingham, Alabama, in USDA Zone 8a and leave mine in the ground year-round. They are hardy here. We usually have mild winters, but they have survived being covered with snow for a few days, and several hard freezes.

Susan

Per this website, you are not in zone 8a:

https://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-british-columbia-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php

Nanaimo is in zone 6. If this is right, your Hot Lips salvia will probably not make it if left outdoors in winter. They should survive in your utility room.

Susan

Best is to dig up the whole plant and plonk the whole thing in some compost in a 3L pot and refrain from watering unless it's very dry. Place the pot in a frost free room with a bit of light and next year, it will come up with new shoots which you can take as cuttings.

This is the official plant zone for Vancouver Island. There are local zones that do not reflect the offical one, which can be confusing. Plant zones are not "BC plant zones" but rather Ag Canada plant zones to be accurate. I would also point out that that 'zone 6' article was dated 2006 which is completely out of date for 2021. My garden is actually Zone 8b as it is protected.

Again, a zone map for Vancouver Island. Nanaimo is on the East Coast looking over to Vancouver in that yellow to caramel zone. In other words, zone 8a and 8b. There are even a few spots at Yellowpoint that are zone 9 and never freeze. Yellowpoint is on the water. Geraniums can be grown in pots outside all year there.