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In all truth, I have never liked Malva. It is coarse and looks like a weed to me. But then, I don't care for Pelargonium foliage either--and those leafs are similar in shape. And don't get me started on the venerable hollyhocks...

A friend used to grow malva. It bloomed forever, was a tough as nails against heat and limited irrigation, and reseeded for new plants every year. About the only thing that would take it down was rust.

Does your friend prune them or just let them go?

I plan on pruning with hopes to get it to look more like this....

My mother in law used to grow this. Its a tough little plant that self sows nicely, not a pest though. They looked like miniature hollyhocks and would come up here and there in her garden, I always liked it. Its got a long bloom period. That plant takes me back to some good memories.

Aw heck, whats one more flower anyway?

I've never grown Malva but they are a close relative of hollyhocks, which I adore. And similar to hollyhocks, they are a fairly high maintenance plant I suspect. Each year I contend with rust and Japanese beetles, but I love the flowers so I persevere.

It's a very pretty plant, so enjoy!

My friend generally just let her plants go, but her husband would sometimes get in the pruning mood. He was a bit of a whacker, actually. They never looked as nice as the plant in your pruned photo.

All I can say about Zebrina hollyhock is, you only have to plant it once, it will reseed after that. It has a long taproot, so it's almost impossible to yank out once it gets to a mature size. The trick is to twist the plant stalk 'round and 'round until the little roots break off and then you can pull the larger root out. Mine aren't nearly as floriferous as the last example posted.

I was going to try Sidalcea 'Party Girl' this year. I didn't order it though. And then I was going to do Malva instead which I vaguely remember trying one year with winter sowing, but they didn't have that where I was ordering seed from. They did have Lavatera, which is what I ended up trying. It germinated fine and I ended up with a six pack that is planted out. The leaves look like your Malva so far. I'm hoping it is going to develop into something much better, because right now it's not too pleasing. lol But I'm sort of wishing I had gotten the Sidalcea. I'll take a photo of mine if it ever starts to bloom. The plant in your photo looks good if you can get it to look like that. Your plants look healthy. Hope you will post photos as the season progresses.

I LOVE MINE! I got it from my partner's mom a few years ago and they are beautiful. Mine got about 6 feet tall last year. They've never returned from roots but reseed very well and get nice and full pretty quick. Mine never looked quite like the "pruned" picture you posted but they were still beautiful. I'm totally heart broken this year, though. All the little seedlings I have got chomped down by lil bunny (insert profanity here) along with my new liatris so its yet to be seen if they will actually grow this year. Which, if they don't, I'm going to have a very awkward open space.
Anyway....bees love them. Mine have got a little rusty in spots from time to time but nothing terrible.

Mine are in the far left corner (pay no attention to the disarray). Obviously from last year.

found another one

Indeed, Donna got there first. All that nice brown clear mulch around your mallow - it won't be clear for long - look out for tiny seedlings - they are very easily identified....and take them out immediately as they have a branching taproot (worse than evening primrose) which goes all the way to Australia. These are my most dreaded weed on the allotment with a tendency to insert themselves into the crown of roses or grasses or....anything really....and if not speedy, there is no solution but to take the entire
clump out of the ground, disentangle the mallow roots and replant. Personally, I adore mallow of every type but rather dread the common old sylvestris.

Camp I sure hope that's not the case for mine. I just removed a dreaded ribbon grass from this area....I renamed it Devil Grass!

Hopefully with luck, a watchful eye, and pruning I too will love this plant.

Not to offend anyone, but as long as opinions are being given, I'll give mine. It did take me a very long time to get rid of this plant once I had it. As stated, the seeds just keep coming and coming. Years after I thought it was gone, I would still find a seedling now and then.

I tried to like it. When I grew it, everyone was raving how remarkable and wonderful and beautiful this thing was. I just couldn't see it. I found it weedy looking after a while and the flower color simply annoyed me. If I remember correctly some insect also loved it. The foliage was always half chewed by something. I had no motivation to find out what.

To each his own.

Kevin

However, no one will doubt that it's a flower powerhouse...and probably nothing will ever kill it.

Kevin, I myself appreciate all opinions.

Even if they are ones you don't like to hear ;)

For me, Malva, including 'Zebrina', was a stage I went through in my mixed perennial gardening. I've now come to aim for blocks of flower colour and also to be using well behaved plants.

I do invariably deadheaded perennials for looks and to prevent excessive reseeding and have never found the mallows, etc., difficult to dig out. The latter could also be related to keeping a close eye on, and acting quickly against, potential problems.

The only two mallows or related plants I still use, are Lavatera cachemiriana (Kashmir tree mallow) and Sidalcea 'Party Girl'. The latter is pretty (dainty, compact, etc.) and the former is dependable for filling in large sunny spaces.

Lavatera, although an annual, to me is a much more garden-worthy plant. It has a much bigger flower size to foliage ratio than the zebrina hollyhock, does not self seed all over and is easy to pull out. Just save seed from year to year if you want more.

Good point, Donna.

Have used Lavatera trimestris (from seed) as a quick (and very cheap) showy fill in the first year of new perennial gardens.

Good point about the seeds. My mother in law had one of those overrun types of gardens that was crowded with all kinds of plants that are notoriously "successful". It wasn't a bad garden but I would describe as boisterous and quite haphazard. In her case, it fit everything about her personality and she was always out there thinning with gusto which she enjoyed & I often jumped in to help. Plants like perennial purple mistflower, Snow on the Mountain and sweet peas were all over the place along with the malva and others.

I have that in my own prairie garden in a somewhat different way (its not all twisted together) so it all depends on how you want a plant to behave and the kind of garden you want to create. Its not a plant for people who freak out at the idea of generous seeders.

The tiny seedlings are very recognisable....and in a fairly clear garden like yours, it should not be a nightmare....but in mine, where everything is crammed together, it is so easy to miss these seedlings till they appear above the ground covering foliage.......and then you recall the childhood story about the enormous turnip...with a great succession of would-be turnip pullers joining into a long chain (farmer, farmer's wife, farmer's dog, goat, donkey etc)._......well pulling a grown mallow is very much a tug-of-war experience - and in my case, I frequently end up on my ass (or arse as we say in England)

The tiny seedlings are very recognisable....and in a fairly clear garden like yours, it should not be a nightmare....but in mine, where everything is crammed together, it is so easy to miss these seedlings till they appear above the ground covering foliage.......and then you recall the childhood story about the enormous turnip...with a great succession of would-be turnip pullers joining into a long chain (farmer, farmer's wife, farmer's dog, goat, donkey etc)._......well pulling a grown mallow is very much a tug-of-war experience - and in my case, I frequently end up on my ass (or arse as we say in England)

Thanks Camp, that makes me feel better. And thanks to everyone else too.

I must say....I'd rather fall on my ass, then fall down my front hill again(in front of a line of traffic ;)

I'll loan anyone my yard bunny... he'll take care of any seedlings for you. Lil @#$%^&*&^%$# ate a big chunk off of one .... RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!! Three dogs and Mr. Rabbit isn't even intimated (and the dogs could care less too). Oye.

Lol how brave!

That wouldn't happen in my yard with my dogs. Although this plant is unprotected by them. (not in fenced area)

Before and after 5days after planting. It's blooming nicely and never showed any signs of stress......

This post was edited by lilsprout on Fri, Jun 13, 14 at 13:47

After