What Red Hot Sally is
Red Hot Sally is a cultivar of Salvia splendens, often called scarlet sage, valued for dense spikes of vivid red flowers on compact plants. It is a popular bedding plant for borders, pots and mass plantings, and its flowers attract pollinators such as bees, and often hummingbirds where they occur. It is mainly an outdoor plant, not a regular houseplant.
Is Red Hot Sally a perennial or an annual?
Salvia splendens is a tender perennial in very warm, frost-free regions, but in most places it is grown as an annual. Frost kills it, and it is usually replaced each spring with new plants or seedlings. Check your local hardiness information; if winters are cold, plan on replanting.
Sun, soil and water
- Sun: Full sun gives the best flowering. Light afternoon shade can help in very hot climates.
- Soil: Well-draining, moderately fertile soil. Heavy, waterlogged ground can cause root problems.
- Water: Water regularly while plants are establishing, then when the soil begins to dry. Pots dry out faster than beds.
- Feeding: Light, occasional feeding is generally enough. Too much nitrogen can produce leaves at the expense of flowers.
- Spacing: Follow the seed packet or plant tag so air can circulate.
Pinching and deadheading
Pinching young plants encourages branching and more flower spikes. Removing spent spikes can encourage new ones, though some modern cultivars are described as needing little deadheading. If plants look tired late in summer, a light trim can refresh them.
Do red salvias come back every year?
It depends on the species. Salvia splendens like Red Hot Sally usually does not survive freezing winters. Other red salvias, such as hardy perennial types, may return in suitable zones. “Hot Lips” is usually Salvia microphylla, a different plant that is generally considered hardier than Salvia splendens in some regions, though it may still die back or fail in harsh winters. Check the plant tag, and mulch perennial salvias in autumn if recommended for your area.
Do you cut back red salvias? For annuals, no cutting back is needed, apart from a trim to refresh them. For perennial types, many gardeners cut back in late winter or spring after the risk of hard frost has passed.
Containers and indoors
Red Hot Sally grows well in containers with drainage holes. Indoors it can be kept briefly on a very bright, sunny windowsill, but low light causes leggy growth and few flowers. If you want to keep one over winter, take a cutting or keep a pot in a bright, frost-free place, though results vary.
Is it safe?
Salvia splendens is not typically ranked as a highly toxic garden plant, but information on ornamental salvias varies by species, and no ornamental plant is meant for eating. Keep it away from pets and children who may chew on plants, and call a veterinarian, poison center or doctor if someone seems unwell after eating any of it.
Related reading
Another sun-loving warm-season flower you may want to compare is celosia.
FAQ
Does it need full sun? Yes, for best color.
Can I grow it in pots? Yes.
Will it flower all summer? Often, with regular care.