San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Marvelous mallows offer showy flowers
In the world of horticulture, there are groupings of plants that have acquired a descriptive common name. One of the most interesting to me is mallow. Although one could say that all genera in the Malvaceae family are mallows of one kind or another, narrowed further by the Malvoideae subfamily, in today’s column I’m taking a closer look at four of the most popular members: Lavatera (tree mallow), Anisodontea (cape mallow), Malva (common mallow) and Sphaeralcea (globe mallow).
Lavatera maritima and L. thuringiaca are the most popular of the perennial tree mallows. The first is known as L. bicolor, due to its 3inch soft pink flowers offset by an intense pink center and veining. Native to France but widely cultivated elsewhere (including by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello in Virginia in 1807), it grows quickly to an 8by6foot shrub, its maplelike grayishgreen leaves providing a downy contrast. The latter offers cultivars that range in color from pure white (Mont Blanc) to light pink (Barnsley) to a mauve or burgundy pink (Rosea or Burgundy Wine). They are typically a bit smaller than the L. bicolor, topping out at 6 feet in height and 3 feet in width. Foliage has a bit more green than gray and takes more of a palmate form than L. bicolor.
There is even a California native among the perennial group. L. assurgentiflora hails from the Channel Islands off the coast near Santa Barbara. It grows as a sprawling shrub, anywhere from 4 to 10 feet tall, with a distinctive flower that comprises five rectangular orchid pink petals.
There is an annual species as well. The Mediterraneanbased rose mallow (Lavatera trimestris) offers a range of pink tones and easily reaches 3by3feet.
For those wanting more of a compact shrub, Anisodontea, Malva and Sphaeralcea all offer wonderful choices. Cape mallows have become popular in recent years and for good reason. They offer all the charms of Lavatera — showy flowers from late spring to fall, attractive foliage and drought tolerance — but on a smaller scale. Most sold in the trade are hybrids and feature shades of pink from a rich orchid (Strybing Beauty) to lighter pink (Rosea). The flowers are smaller, usually 1½ to 2 inches, but appear in great numbers until first frost. Cape mallows range in size from 3feetby2feet up to 5feetby3feet. Handsome figlike foliage is a bit crinkled, adding an element of interest.
Globe mallows (Sphaeralcea) come in a variety of forms, including one (S. munroana) that is a highly desirable ground cover. It produces small scalloped leaves, and in summer charming halfinch, cupshape coral flowers. It forms a dense mat, making it excellent for erosion control. S. ambigua, called desert or apricot mallow, is native to the dry lands of Southern California and forms a 3footby5foot bush. Fuzzy leaves soon yield inchwide orange flowers. Incredibly drought tolerant, it can get by with virtually no summer water. Want a little wildness? Sphaeralcea ‘Newleaze Coral’ has branches that dip and sway, finding their own form. Very pretty 1inch coralred flowers appear off and on all year.
Malva sylvestris is an annual mallow that grows to 2 to 4 feet tall. Come summer it will produce a multitude of fivepetaled pink flowers with prominent dark splashes. Its abundant blooming seems especially floriferous given this small shrub’s compact growth. ‘Zebrina’ is a popular variety.
Earl Nickel is an Oakland nurseryman and freelance writer. Email: food@sfchronicle.com
Mellow mallows
Pollinators paradise: Mallows are a great way to attract bees and hummingbirds to your garden. Their long bloom season, in some areas nearly year-round, makes them an ideal choice for a pollinator garden.
Wait, is that a mallow? Flower shape and color are the final word for plant ID and that means, yes, hollyhocks and hibiscus belong to the mallow family.
Cultivation: Mallows are easy to grow, requiring only a healthy amount of sun, good drainage and a little fertilizer now and then. They are generally pest- and disease-free, and they establish quickly. Hardy down to 20 degrees.