Malva moschata - summer-long flowering

Malva moschata - summer-long flowering

Malva moschata, the musk  mallow, has been a favourite in my garden for a decade now.  A native plant in the U.K. it has beautiful pink flowers that are held on strong woody stems reaching 6 feet tall at times.  Requiring no staking it’s a great contributor to the garden, usually in flower for around ten weeks and proving an irrresistable attraction to insects.

I first introduced it to the garden as a seedling from a friend’s garden and have had it ever since.  Despite  the individual plants being relatively short lived, its propensity to seed around gently means I haven’t had a year without it since I brought it home.

Describing it as having woody stems might be a bit misleading - it’s actually a herbaceous perennial but the stems quickly harden up giving it a shrubby appearance when first encountered.  As a plant it’s very easy from seed.  Chiltern Seeds are a reliable supplier and offer the species that I have, a pale pink form called ‘Apple Blossom’ and a white form, alba.  It’s one of those plants that I’ve become rather attached to and will always find a place for in future gardens should I ever have to move.

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