Monday, June 13, 2011

Hot Lips


Salvia x microphylla 'Hot Lips'... a changeable diva!

"If one consults enough herbals...every sickness known to humanity will be listed as being cured by sage." ~ Varro Taylor, Ph.D. (herb expert)
We already had a large pot with a bush sage planted and growing and showing off the bright red blooms that are so irresistible to hummingbirds; but this little gem was too gorgeous to pass up. I nestled it between the milkweed and the coneflowers and it loves the area. When first planted, the little flowers were totally red; but as the days grew hot, the flowers changed color....


From a deep crimson red all over......


.....to a fabulous stripe of red against a background of pure white... very 'Hot Lips' indeed. According to several sources, the flowers may also be all white -- pure as the winter snow-- if you want to believe such a saucy flower can do so. I am going to try and collect some of the tiny seed and see what I can do with it. For now, the flowers are going strong and the hummingbirds have been dining, as have the bees and a few butterflies.

This is a variety of sage, though not the typical herb used in cooking. Still, when you crush a couple of leaves together or break off a spent flower stem, the aroma of pungent sage is left on your fingers and in the air. Heavenly.

(end of post)
Ruby Tuesday

6 comments:

Kramer Wetzel said...

I like the "sage" comment. I tend to favor rosemary for all my herbal cures.

Ginny Hartzler said...

These photos are amazing, especially the one with the white!!! I learned quite a bit, too. I thought there is only one kind of sage, the one we cook with. And hummingbirds coming to sage, I never knew that, either!

Sandra Hangey said...

this is totaly awesome and i want one. I have not seen any of these in GA or here in FL, not in any of the nuseries either. hope your catty pillars are coming along wel AND that you had a heart attack free night, no alarms screaming, AC working all that good stuff

gitwizard said...

Beautiful shots, and thank you for adding to my horticultural education - I never knew there were different varieties of Sage.

Kenju said...

I've ben known to rub rosemary all over my hands and neck; I suspect I'd do the same with that!! Very pretty.

Ramblingwoods said...

You do have a way with your photos...so beautiful yet serene too...