Lakeshore Garden Centres Plant Finder

Other Names:  Lavatera assurgentiflora, Malva Rosa

Description:

Silky rose-pink flowers, with striking fuchsia veins and white eyes from spring to fall; wind and drought tolerant once established; fast growing and easy to maintain; at its best in coastal environments; fall pruning helps maintain a nice habit

Ornamental Features

Island Mallow features showy rose flowers with pink overtones, white eyes and fuchsia veins along the branches from mid spring to mid fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its tomentose lobed leaves remain grayish green in colour with distinctive chartreuse veins throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Island Mallow is an open multi-stemmed perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spreading

Island Mallow is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Windbreaks and Shelterbelts
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Island Mallow will grow to be about 10 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It tends to be leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and should be underplanted with lower-growing perennials. Although it is technically a woody plant, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as a perennial in our climate if planted outdoors over the winter, usually regrowing from its base (crown) 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 is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. This plant will benefit from an application of bonemeal and/or mycorrhizal fertilizer at the time of planting. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.

Island Mallow is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base 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. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.

This plant is not reliably hardy in our region, and certain restrictions may apply; contact the store for more information.