Malva sylvestris
- Perennial
- Soft lavender flowers with spectacular, deep maroon veins.
- Excellent in containers and border gardens.
- Attracts butterflies.
An old Cottage-garden favourite, this cousin to the Hollyhock has similar satiny flowers in a soft lavender-purple shade, exotically striped with deep maroon veins. It forms an upright, bushy mound that may need to be staked if grown in rich soil. This is a short-lived perennial or biennial, often flowering itself to death in the first year, but coming back the next year from self-sown seedlings. Excellent in containers, or the sunny border. In cold regions this is well worth growing, because of the long blooming season. Flowers are attractive to butterflies. Also known as Striped Mallow.
Approx. 100 seeds
Divide every 3 years in spring.