Hot Lips

Question from Judi:
I’m sending you a picture of a flower called “hot lips”. A friend of mine saw it while on vacation and loved it. It must have another name besides hot lips and who would know but you? Wishing you a happy healthy New Year. She emailed me “These white flowers with the red edge are what my friend is looking to get for his garden. Would you ask Pat Welsh? She might know what this is. Many thanks.”

Answer from Pat:
The photo you sent me is of Salvia microphylla ‘Hot Lips’. It is discussed on page 264 of my organic gardening book and on page 610 of Sunset Western Garden Book. This plant was discovered by Richard Turner, the editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine when he was traveling in Mexico. As I recall the story which Richard related to me several years ago while we were on a garden tour in Spain, he found this salvia growing in a pot on the porch of a friend (or landlady, it might have been) who couldn’t remember where he or she got it. Richard brought home a cutting and gave it to the Strybing Arboretum in San Francisco, who propagated it, named it ‘Hot Lips’ and introduced it to the trade, and since then it has been quite popular with gardeners. You should be able to find it in good local nurseries in spring and summer. It is notable for its unusual bicolor flowers and is quite drought-resistant and grows well in west-facing sun. I base this information on the fact that I noticed one thriving for several years, apparently with little care and only occasional water, in a hot spot on the east side of Los Rios Street in San Juan Capistrano stuck against a west-facing wall or fence between the train station and the Ramos Cafe, where it got a little shade in the morning and full sun all afternoon. The plant in your photo looks a bit too crowded for its optimum welfare.