Salvia x greggii 'Lipstick' - AUTUMN SAGE 'LIPSTICK'

Evergreen aromatic sage with lipstick red flowers (with white throat and brown calyxes).

Blooming machine (up to 6 month), vigorous and excellent performer in humid climates.

Attracts hummingbirds, some bees and some butterflies.

Hardy to zone 7a, might be succesfully overwintered in drained soils in zone 6/7 with some winter protection (leaves, heavily mulch & covered with bucket or storage box). Or can be dug out and overwintered in cool garage, or simply grown as annual.

Low maintenance plant - cut back 1/2 to 2/3 in winter or pre-spring.

Blooming Time: depending on your zone - in warmer zones starts in early/mid spring, continues throughout the summer till fall. Generally blooms for about 6 months
Size: 36" tall x 36" wide
USDA Zones: 6/7-10b
Culture: full sun, half sun, average soil with some organic matter, moderatelly fertile to loam, drained soil contribute to better winter hardiness in 6/7 zones. Once establishhed drought tolerant!
Moisture Needs: dry, medium-dry, medium (average) is the best, tolerates seasonal wet (rainy) periods

Origin: Salvia greggii is native to to a long, narrow area from southwest Texas, through the Chihuahuan Desert and into the Mexican state (San Luis Potosi), typically gcan be found in rocky soils at elevations from 5,000 to 9,000 ft.

Black walnut tolerant: yes
Deer/Rabbit Resistant: yes / yes
Attracts Butterflies or Pollinators: yes
Attracts Hummingbirds: yes
Pot Size: square 3.5" x 4" deep perennial pot

Plant combinations: Flower beds in sun, cottage gardens, naturalistic, tropical, eclectic, deer resistant plantings, naturalistic gardens, hummingbird gardens or in larger conatiners on patios, etc.

You can use it with plants requiring drier or average conditions  Looks great with blue or purple colors of Agastache, Catanache caerulea, Eryngium, Nepeta, Linum lewisii, Platycodon, Scabiosa, Veronica or reblooming Salvia nemorosa hybrids. But can be combined with many plants on the average to drought tolerant scale like Achillea, Artemisia, Aster, Echinacea, Paeonia, bearded Iris, Perovskia, Sedum and medium to taller grasses (Muhlenbergia, Panicum, Pennisetum, Sporobolus, Schizachyrium). But goes also well with plant that appreciate more moisture like Amsonia, Baptisia, Coreopsis, Hemerocallis (daylily), Lilium (lily), Stachys, Vernonia or tropical plants.

Picture copyright: JC Raulston Arboretum