Lakeshore Garden Centres Plant Finder

Other Names:  Wax Mallow

Description:

An interesting hybrid selection producing exceptional, large red flowers in summer through fall; cut back after plant enters fall dormancy; evergreen in warm, frost free climates

Ornamental Features

Big Momma Turks Cap features showy clusters of scarlet tubular flowers at the ends of the branches from early summer to early fall. The fruits are showy red drupes carried in abundance from mid to late fall. Its round palmate leaves remain green in colour with curious grayish green undersides throughout the year.

Landscape Attributes

Big Momma Turks Cap is a dense multi-stemmed annual with a mounded form. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Big Momma Turks Cap is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Big Momma Turks Cap will grow to be about 6 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. Although it's not a true annual, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Big Momma Turks Cap is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.