Solved Mystery plant

Another plant in my brother's garden for identification please. Again - apologies for picture quality.

 

Not sure but looks like Salvia Hot Lips. Again unfortunately perhaps not really suitable for you if you were thinking of adding it to your new garden as on the tender side.

 

Thanks, I think you're right with the id Silu. Again I'm not thinking of growing it. To be honest my brother's choice of plants are usually quite different to mine.

 

It is Hot Lips. Not one that I really like but it is totally hardy. Personally I would rather have 'Blue Note' which is just as hardy, blooms equally as long but is a better colour and less rampant.

 

I have Salvia Hotlips and it can easily take -7/8c It is a bee magnet which, along with some other Salvias, is why I like it. It recovers well from being cut back.

 

I like it because of the flower colours. It can vary with the temperature. You can get all white , all red or red and white all on the same plant.

( A bit like the Rose " Masquerade " )

 

Thanks all. I'll pass the info on to my brother who lives in Essex. As Silu says it wouldn't survive up here anyway with winter temperatures reaching -10C or lower.

 

It would laugh at a mild frost such as that! Seriously.

 

And it's not really a thug! I just give it a hard trim in spring, and it behaves quite well. I have a terrible colour clash because eccremocarpus grows through it. Trimming it gives you a lovely smell of blackcurrant.