Amethyst Lips sage

Perennial · Shrub

Salvia ‘Amethyst Lips’

Amethyst Lips sage

Also known as: Salvia 'Dyspurp', Salvia greggii 'Amethyst Lips'

A bushy shrubby sage with bicoloured flowers, white at the base and amethyst-purple at the lips.

  • Full sun
  • 50–90 cm (20–35 in)
  • 50–90 cm (20–35 in)
  • H4 · Zone 8
  • June–October
  • Semi evergreen

Overview

This compact, semi-evergreen sage carries small, aromatic leaves and, from early summer to autumn, spikes of flowers that are white near the base and purple towards the tips, like a 'lipstick' bicolour. It is a sport (natural mutation) of a purple-flowered plant, so the colouring can be unstable: some flowers or stems may come all purple or all white. That is normal and nothing to worry about. Hardy to about -10°C (14°F) in free-draining soil, and loved by bees.

At a Glance

Sun Full sun
Height 50–90 cm (20–35 in)
Spread 50–90 cm (20–35 in)
Hardiness H4 · Zone 8
Flowers June–October
Soil Chalk, Loam, Sand
Moisture Moist well drained
Habit Bushy, Rounded
Water Low
Maintenance Easy

Growing Conditions

Min. Temperature -10°C (14°F)
pH Range 6–8
Fertility Average
Drainage Free Draining

Aspect Suitability

  • South-facing
  • West-facing

Site Tolerance

  • Coastal
  • Drought

Soil Tolerance

  • Chalk
  • Sandy
  • Loam
  • Acid
  • Neutral pH
  • Alkaline

Foliage

Persistence Semi evergreen
Colour Green
Leaf shape / texture ovate_aromatic

Foliage interest: March–December

Seasonal Timeline

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Flowering
Foliage
Propagate
  • Flowering Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
  • Foliage Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • Propagate May Jun Jul Aug Sep

How to propagate

One way to grow more Amethyst Lips sage: the usual steps for each method.

Softwood cuttings May–Sep Takes a little care

You'll need: Clean, sharp secateurs or a knife, small pots, gritty compost (half compost, half grit or perlite), a plastic bag, and rooting powder if you have it.

  1. Early in the morning, cut soft, non-flowering shoot tips about 5 to 10 cm long, and keep them in a plastic bag so they don't wilt.
  2. Trim each one just below a leaf joint and take off the lower leaves, leaving two or three at the top.
  3. Dip the cut end in rooting powder if you have some.
  4. Push them into the edge of a pot of gritty compost so their leaves don't touch, and water them in.
  5. Cover with a clear bag or put them in a propagator, somewhere bright but out of direct sun.
How long
Roots in about 3 to 6 weeks.
It's worked when
New growth at the tips, and roots showing through the pot's holes.
Then
Pot each one up on its own and grow it on. Keep young plants frost-free through their first winter.

A protected (PBR) variety, so propagation is for your own garden only. Take cuttings from shoots with bicoloured flowers, as cuttings from all-purple or all-white stems will keep that colour.

Maintenance Calendar

  • Apr Prune in mid-spring once new growth shows, cutting just above fresh shoots, so frost does not enter fresh wounds
  • Jun Cut out any stems that have reverted to all one colour if you want to keep the bicolour effect
  • Jul Trim faded flower spikes to encourage more flowers
  • Nov Leave stems standing over winter to shelter the plant's base

Garden Design

Works well in: Cottage, Mediterranean, Modern / Contemporary, Wildlife-friendly

A cheerful choice for pots and the front of sunny borders. Plant it near Salvia 'Royal Bumble' for a long-flowering red and purple combination.

Companion planting: Lavenders, Grasses, Pink and white perennials, Other salvias

Wildlife Value

  • Bees
  • Butterflies
  • Other pollinators
  • Birds

Safety

Not known to be toxic; ornamental sage, not for cooking.