Amethyst Lips salvia (Salvia microphylla ‘Amethyst Lips’) is one of the easier ornamental salvias to grow, thriving in warm, sunny spots with minimal fuss once established. This bicolored cultivar produces striking flowers with a deep purple upper lip and a crisp white lower lip, blooming from late spring well into autumn. It belongs to the littleleaf sage species native to the mountains of Mexico, and that origin tells you most of what it needs: warmth, good drainage, and not too much water.
Where It Grows Best
Amethyst Lips performs well in USDA hardiness zones 7 through 10. In zone 7, it may die back to the ground in winter and re-emerge from the roots in spring, behaving more like a herbaceous perennial. In zones 8 through 10, it typically stays semi-evergreen, keeping at least some foliage through the cold months. Gardeners in zone 6 sometimes succeed with it in sheltered microclimates or by treating it as an annual, but consistent winter temperatures below about 0°F will usually kill the roots.
Full sun is ideal. Six or more hours of direct sunlight per day produces the densest growth and the most prolific flowering. Part shade is tolerable, especially in the hottest climates where afternoon shade can prevent the foliage from looking scorched, but too much shade leads to leggy stems and fewer blooms. If you’re choosing between a spot that gets blazing morning sun or a spot that gets gentler afternoon light, go with the morning sun.
Soil drainage matters more than soil fertility for this plant. Salvia microphylla evolved in rocky, well-drained mountain soils, and it strongly resents sitting in soggy ground. Heavy clay soil should be amended with coarse sand, gravel, or pumice before planting, or you can plant in raised beds where water drains freely. A slightly acidic to neutral pH (roughly 6.0 to 7.5) works well, but the plant is fairly forgiving on pH as long as the roots are not waterlogged. Rich, heavily composted soil is unnecessary and can actually produce lush foliage at the expense of flowers.
Planting and Getting Established
Spring planting, after the last frost, gives Amethyst Lips the entire warm season to establish roots before facing winter. In mild-winter areas (zones 9 and 10), fall planting also works because the roots can settle in during cooler, occasionally rainy weather without heat stress. Avoid planting in the peak of summer unless you can commit to regular watering during the first few weeks.
Dig a hole roughly twice the width of the nursery pot and the same depth. There’s no need to bury the crown deeper than it sat in the container. Backfill with your native soil (amended for drainage if needed), water it in thoroughly, and apply a thin layer of gravel or bark mulch around the base. Keep mulch a couple of inches away from the stems to prevent moisture from pooling against the woody crown, which can encourage rot.
During the first growing season, water regularly to help roots spread into surrounding soil. “Regularly” means roughly once or twice a week when it hasn’t rained, adjusting for your climate. The goal is to keep the soil lightly moist but never saturated. After that first season, you can scale back considerably. Established Amethyst Lips salvia is genuinely drought tolerant, needing supplemental water only during extended dry spells or extreme heat. Overwatering is the single most common way people kill this plant. If the leaves start to yellow and the soil feels damp, you’re overdoing it.
Feeding
This is a plant that does not need much fertilizer. A light application of a balanced, slow-release granular fertilizer in early spring is plenty. You can also top-dress with a thin layer of compost at the start of the growing season. Avoid high-nitrogen feeds, which push leafy growth and reduce bloom intensity. In poor, rocky soils, the plant still performs respectably with no fertilizer at all, though flowering may be slightly less abundant. If you grow it in a container, a diluted liquid feed once a month during the active growing season keeps it happy without overdoing it.
Pruning and Shaping
Amethyst Lips grows as a rounded, woody-based subshrub, typically reaching about two to three feet tall and similarly wide. Left entirely to its own devices, it can get open and leggy, with long stems that flop over and sparse interior growth. A few well-timed pruning sessions make a noticeable difference.
The most important prune comes in late winter or early spring, just as new growth begins to appear at the base and along the lower stems. Cut the entire plant back by roughly one-third to one-half of its height. This feels aggressive, but Salvia microphylla responds enthusiastically by pushing out dense new growth from the remaining framework. The result is a bushier, more compact plant that holds its shape and flowers more heavily.
During the growing season, you can do lighter shaping cuts or deadhead spent flower spikes to encourage a fresh flush of blooms. The plant naturally flowers in waves: a big push in late spring, a possible lull in the hottest part of summer, and then another strong round of blooming in early fall as temperatures moderate. Trimming back by a few inches after each flowering wave helps trigger the next one.
Avoid hard pruning in autumn, especially in zones 7 and 8. The remaining woody stems provide some insulation for the crown during winter, and cutting them away late in the season can stimulate tender new growth that will be killed by the first frost.
Propagation
If you want more plants, softwood cuttings are the most reliable method. Take cuttings in late spring or early summer from the current season’s non-flowering stems. A cutting about four to six inches long, with the lower leaves stripped off, inserted into a pot of moist, gritty propagation mix, will usually root within a few weeks. A plastic bag loosely draped over the pot keeps humidity up while roots develop. Rooting hormone helps but is not strictly necessary with this species.
Division is another option for mature plants. After a plant has been growing for three or more years and has developed a substantial root mass, you can lift it in early spring and divide the root ball into sections, each with some stems and roots attached. Both softwood cuttings and divisions produce clones of the parent plant, so you’ll get the same bicolored flowers as the original.1Plant Addicts. Propagating Salvia Seed propagation is possible with Salvia microphylla, but named cultivars like Amethyst Lips do not come true from seed, meaning the offspring may have different flower colors or forms.
Common Problems
Amethyst Lips salvia is relatively trouble-free compared to many garden plants, but a few issues crop up regularly enough to be worth knowing about.
- Root rot: The number one killer. Almost always caused by overwatering or poor drainage. Symptoms include wilting despite moist soil, blackened stem bases, and a general collapse of the plant. Prevention (good drainage and restrained watering) is far easier than treatment. Once root rot is advanced, the plant is usually lost.
- Powdery mildew: A white, powdery coating on leaves that shows up most often in humid conditions with poor air circulation. Spacing plants adequately and avoiding overhead watering at night reduces the risk. Mild cases are cosmetic and don’t threaten the plant’s life.
- Whiteflies and spider mites: These can appear in hot, dry weather, especially on stressed plants. A strong spray of water from the hose knocks populations back. Severe infestations respond to insecticidal soap, but healthy, well-watered plants rarely reach that point.
- Leggy growth: Not a disease but a common complaint. Usually the result of too much shade, too much nitrogen, or not enough pruning. The fix is more sun and a harder spring cutback.
Deer and rabbits tend to leave Salvia microphylla alone, thanks to its aromatic foliage, though no plant is completely deer-proof in areas with heavy browse pressure. The scent that deters deer is part of a broader chemical profile typical of the species.
The Aromatic Foliage
Crush a leaf of Amethyst Lips between your fingers and you’ll notice a sharp, slightly fruity scent. This comes from the essential oils present throughout Salvia microphylla’s foliage. Chemical analysis of the species has identified over seventy individual volatile compounds in the leaves and stems, dominated by sesquiterpene hydrocarbons along with smaller amounts of monoterpenes.2Journal of the Mexican Chemical Society. Chemical Composition of the Essential Oils of Salvia polystachia and Salvia microphylla (Lamiaceae) Growing in Costa Rica The dominant compound is typically beta-caryophyllene, the same molecule responsible for the peppery note in black pepper and cloves.3Journal of the Mexican Chemical Society. GC-MS Analysis and Biological Activities of Algerian Salvia microphylla Essential Oils Other compounds present include cineole (the cooling, camphoraceous component familiar from eucalyptus) and various eudesmol isomers.4Journal of Renewable Materials. Comparison of Essential Oil Composition, Phenolic Compound and Biological Activities of Salvia microphylla and Teucrium polium (Lamiaceae)
The exact proportions of these oils vary depending on where the plant is grown, the soil, the climate, and even which part of the plant you sample. This is why the scent of your garden plant may not perfectly match someone else’s description of Salvia microphylla’s aroma. It’s also why the foliage is sometimes described as minty, sometimes as fruity, and sometimes as almost curry-like. All those descriptions can be accurate for different individual plants or different growing conditions.
Attracting Pollinators
One of the best practical reasons to grow Amethyst Lips is what it does for the garden’s pollinator traffic. Hummingbirds are strongly attracted to Salvia microphylla cultivars, and the tubular flower shape is well-suited to their feeding style. The long bloom season, stretching from late spring into fall, provides a nectar source during months when many other plants have finished flowering. Butterflies visit frequently as well, and various native bee species work the flowers throughout the day.
Planting several salvias together amplifies this effect. Hummingbirds are territorial feeders and tend to patrol circuits of reliable nectar sources. A grouping of three to five Amethyst Lips plants, or a mix of Salvia microphylla cultivars with different flower colors, creates enough of a draw to keep hummingbirds visiting regularly rather than just passing through. Companion plantings that pair well include other drought-tolerant, pollinator-friendly plants like lavender, agastache, echinacea, and nepeta. These share similar cultural needs (sun and drainage) and bloom at complementary times.
Container Growing
Amethyst Lips adapts well to containers, which is useful if you’re in a zone colder than 7 and want to overwinter the plant indoors. Use a pot at least 14 to 16 inches in diameter with generous drainage holes. A gritty, fast-draining potting mix (cactus mix works, or you can blend standard potting soil with perlite at roughly a 2:1 ratio) keeps the roots from staying too wet.
Container plants dry out faster than those in the ground, so you’ll need to water more frequently during hot weather, potentially every other day. Feed monthly with a diluted liquid fertilizer during the growing season. The plant will stay somewhat smaller in a pot than in the ground, typically topping out around 18 to 24 inches, but it still flowers generously.
If you bring the container indoors for winter, place it in the brightest spot you have, ideally a south-facing window. The plant may lose most of its leaves and go semi-dormant, which is normal. Water sparingly through winter, just enough to keep the soil from going completely bone-dry. Resume normal watering and feeding in spring, move it back outside after the last frost, and give it its annual cutback. Plants overwintered this way sometimes look rough by March, but they bounce back quickly once they’re in the sun again.
How Amethyst Lips Compares to Other Salvia microphylla Cultivars
Salvia microphylla has been bred into dozens of cultivars, and Amethyst Lips is one of a subset known as “bicolor” or “lips” types, where the upper and lower petals are different colors. Hot Lips, with its red and white flowers, is probably the most widely known member of this group and the one you’ll see most often at garden centers. The cultural needs are virtually identical across Salvia microphylla cultivars: same sun, same drainage, same pruning regimen, same hardiness range. What changes is the flower color and sometimes the vigor or mature size of the plant.
Amethyst Lips tends to be slightly less commonly stocked than Hot Lips, so you may need to order it from specialty nurseries or online retailers. When shopping, verify that you’re getting the true cultivar and not a seedling labeled loosely. True Amethyst Lips should show the characteristic purple-and-white bicolored bloom. Some sellers offer generic Salvia microphylla seedlings with purple flowers that look similar from a distance but lack the clean bicolor pattern. Buying from a nursery that propagates vegetatively (from cuttings, not seed) is your best guarantee of getting the right plant.
One quirk shared by many bicolor Salvia microphylla cultivars is that flower color can shift with temperature. During cooler weather in spring and fall, the purple pigment on Amethyst Lips tends to be deeper and more saturated. In the heat of midsummer, some flowers may appear paler or show less contrast between the two colors. Occasionally, a stem will produce flowers that are entirely purple or entirely white. This is normal temperature-driven variation, not a sign that something is wrong with the plant. The classic bicolor look returns once temperatures moderate.