PlantFiles: Mallow, French Hollyhock
Malva sylvestris 'Zebrina'

Two years ago I purchased a blooming Zebrina Mallow plant from a local plant nursery. Last summer healthy green leaves emerged from the ground, and I watched it every day as it grew. One morning I went out to view its progress, and all I saw was a small leafless stalk. Over the next few weeks, the same process repeated itself. Early one morning, I caught the rabbit in the act. The mallow plant didn't have a chance to bloom last summer. The same thing has happened this summer: green leaves one week and a leafless stalk the next, with Mr. Bunny close by. He doesn't seem to care for my other hollyhock plants however. Recently a hawk has taken residency in my suburban neighborhood. Maybe the hawk will take care of my problem by next summer and I will enjoy a blooming Zebrina Mallow plant again.

What a lovely plant! I submitted a post to the Plant Identification forum back in March asking for help ID'ing a "mysterious leafy green stranger" growing in a flowerbed--it was all leaves and promise then, no blooms. DG folks quickly determined that it was a zebrina hollyhock and asked me to post pix when it bloomed, so I have done so now. So happy the folks ID'd this fellow because he was 'this close' to the composter when I decided I should try to find out what he was! As others have noted, the strong winds and storms lately have torqued the two hollyhocks a bit but they stayed upright and are blooming profusely, tho' both are a bit leggy. They get full sun and minimal water and require little in the way of pampering.

Reliably reseeds - a classic I'd recommend for any garden (after all, Thomas Jefferson grew it at Monticello!). I started a couple plants four years ago - from them I get a drift approx five feet by one foot each summer. Soil it is in is unamended and rather poor. Not aggressive - but assertive, can easily control spreading.

a great big positive. I think its one of the most gorgous plants in my garden, not only are the colors bright and striking but it also shows non stop flowering though-out the season. I have not found this to be invasive- i actually wish it would spread a bit and as of now keeps to a couple tall stalks which seem to about double every year- but still stay put in the garden. I have mini and double hollyhocks which look silimlar but by far this malva has brighter colors and is longer blooming.

Malva - Mallow
This genus is made up of 30 species of annuals, biennials and perennials that originate in Europe, North Africa and Asia, but have in some cases naturalized elsewhere. The flowers are similar to but smaller than the popular Lavatera to which the malvas are related; they are single 5-petalled flowers in shades of white, pink, blue or purple. Although they may not be quite as showy as those of Lavatera, they do make attractive subjects for the border or wild garden.
Cultivation:
These plants flourish in sunny, well-drained aspects and tend to be more robust and longer lived in not too rich soil. They are fully frost hardy. Cut plants back after the first flowers have faded. Propagate from cuttings or seed in spring; the perennials often self-seed. Watch for rust disease in spring.
Malva sylvestris -Tall Mallow, High Mallow, Cheeses
This erect perennial species grows to 3' tall, often behaving as a biennial. Its leaves are broad and heart-shaped to rounded, slightly lobed and mid- to dark green. The flowers are produced from late spring to mid-fall and in the wild form are mauve-pink with dark purple veins. Cultivars have been seleted with flower colors from pure white through blues to deep purple.
Zones 5-10

Started mine from seed last spring. Did well last year, but it did suffer during the hottest months.
It didn't die back at all over the winter and now, in May, is in full bloom and a bit over 3'.
I was worried about it self-seeding excessively, but only one seedling came up.

I wintersowed this plant on January 13th, with germination January 23rd of one plant. I set out the entire container April 14th, and by the 17th had more germination around the original plant. The original plant is now blooming beautifully and I plan to carefully move the babies. So far, this plant has been a pleasure.

My neighbor gave me two or three of these and I transplanted them in mid-season. They have done very well in my heavy clay soil. They self-sow freely in my flower beds and have moved (on their own) from the flower bed in the front of the house to the flower bed on the side of the house. Indeed they tend to be a bit too enthusiastic and I have to thin them out vigorously each spring so they don't crowd out other, more desirable plants. Tend to need support because of height attained at times.

Fantastic plant/flower. Love the color! Reseeds prolifically...I bought seeds originally for this but never used the seeds! I "inherited" the plant from my neighbor who "inherited" it from her neighbor and, last year I shared this plant with another neighbor. Very dependable, drought hardy, grows in sun or part-shade, doesn't need "coddling" (thrives more on neglect...).

Jan

I saved seeds from a plant I had in 2002 in WI which was about 5' tall, and finally was able to plant them this spring. They grew beautifully, and have been blooming for weeks now. Even if they don't overwinter, the ease of germination and the profusion of blooms the first year will give these a solid place in my purple dominated yard.

I have this plant but only in one place of my garden it blooms, and it is a little bit invasive. The plants that are full sunrays grows bigger but no flowers and are majority, while the ones that are under shade they flower very early. It´s very hardy here in Costa Rica.

Blooms are white with dark purple throats, anthers and stamen. The purple veins out as if stroked on with a paint brush.

Fertilize monthly and remove old blooms to encourage additional blooms. May need to provide support. You can allow them to self seed for the following year, if desired, but flowers may not be true.

This is a beautiful plant, grows 6-8 feet tall, blooms like crazy & doesnt need water...... BUT it spreads like crazy so lookout! Put it where it can go wild.

This is my first year gardening and this plant is a wonder to behold! Always in bloom with little maintenance needed! Definitely a bright spot in my garden. Next year, I plan to check out other varieties of malva.

Re: the first post, I am in what is now considered zone 7a (used to be 6b) and I couldn't winter this plant! It dies, you cut it back, and it grows back profusely next spring! Just a gorgeous plant. I purchased one that wasn't very happy about being replanted into the ground, but I tended to it and it rewarded me greatly this spring. It grows predominantly straight and is also a creeper, but will not harm or block any plants in its area. This plant loves water, but will tolerate drier conditions. Once established it is very hearty and even if the main section dies, its horizontal roots will allow it to spring up in numerous other places. A beautiful purple joy! :)

have grown this malva for many years. It has pretty light purple flowers with darker stripes and nice foliage. It is bi-annual and self seeds easily. Grows to 3 to 4 feet in full sun or part shade. I usually cut back gangly tops after going to seed, and blooms continue until hit by a freeze. It has no pest problems and is heat and drought tolerant. This is one tough little plant.

2005 I sowed the seeds outside in containers during the winter. As it was the first time I'd grown any malva, I was surprised when it not only germinated but began to bloom in mid-June. Flowers the *first* year after sowing! Amazing!

These little plants grew like troopers for me in very difficult conditions. They got only the extremely hot sun in the afternoon and, because of severe dought, they got very little extra water. In spite of the situation, they bloomed beautifully.

It's now mid October and the plants have long since gone to seed. I've saved some, but after checking the beds find that I've got lots of seedlings cropping up around my original plants.

I will sow a container or two again this winter to replace those I've grown this if they don't make it...and if they do, I'll more to put in other beds and to give as gifts.

Definitely worth trying.
~julie~

This is a beautiful plant when healthy and in the right conditions, but I find it a bit too persnickety to grow here in my garden due to our fluctuating summers (both heat and the amount of sun). Ithaca is not a place that receives sunny, hot summers as a rule - although we do get one once in a while.

The first year I grew this I had it in the garden where it recieved sun all day except for the hottest part of the afternoon; in amended/clay soil that was moist but well-drained. It did wonderfully the whole summer, that year, but did not appear to reseed itself. The next summer I purchased and planted in the same spot, but the plant only lasted through June before slowly withering away. Repeated attempts in various spots over the next few years made me decide that while this is a most garden-worthy plant in some, it just wasn't in my garden.

While I still think this plant is beautiful when happy, I'm giving it a neutral rating as there are many other more reliable perennials that I can grow that are just as pretty, and which adapt to various temps and conditions.

This lovely flower self-sows prolifically for me, and it can also be direct sown in the fall or started indoors in the spring. It's usually perennial, but any plants that die are replaced by many seedlings.

Gorgeous, fast growing plant for me from seed, but it will not overwinter for me in zone 4. I save seeds and replant it each spring because I love it that much. I also get volunteer plants from seed that dropped the previous year. It's easy and very pretty.

Love this plant! I had a friend give me seeds in 1994 and have saved seed from my original plants ever since. Easy to start from seed. Also re-seeds. Can winter over here in my zone 5-6 if near a house or protected area. The blooms go on and on...... it just keeps producing flowers from bottom of stem till it reaches the tip top. Nice foliage too.

I'm on the southern border of zone 8B. This plant has done well for me in an area that gets afternoon sun- a "plus" in my garden. When our heat/humidity finally take their toll, it self-seeds so I have plants later in the season. I haven't noticed it bothered by any pests.

This plant has an exceptional spring bloom, looking wonderful! Then the Kansas summer heat takes its toll and the plant looks pretty sad until fall, when it recovers. But the eye-catching spring bloom has drawn neighborhood compliments for several blocks around. I started with 2-3 transplants about 3 years ago which have self-sowed into a huge patch.

After attempting to winter this plant over in my zone 3 climate, I finally gave up and decided it is also an excellent perennial to grow as an annual. It grows well and produces profuse blooms within the first year, so I just plant it indoors each spring and set it after last frost.