Malva, Tree Mallow 'Barnsley'

Excellent here in the Pacific Northwest as long as you plant it in a spot that doesn't stay too wet over the winter. Mind that it can pic...Read Morek up rust from perennials such as hollyhocks and snapdragons, so be sure to yank any at the first sign. It is rather drought tolerant—mine survived our very dry summer of 2017 (little to no measurable rain for nearly three months) with the most occasional of watering, but it does better with a bit more water than that.

The most important thing I have found with these is to ensure you buy a young plant when you do. You will often see them at nurseries with woody bases that have been cut back; these are already too old for planting and will generally not perform well. Look for large, soft leaves—older plants will have smaller, less velvety leaves—and soft green to dark, non-woody stems. If there is any woodiness, pass on it. A young plant will achieve a large stature in its first summer, and full size in its second.

I have so-so luck with this plant. I didn't realize they were short-lived; thought I was just doing something wrong. I've been growing ...Read Morethem for 35 years in a variety of soils, from amended (but still tight) fertilized clay to unamended, unfertilized loam and now fast draining loam, fertilized and thickly mulched. Some get regular water, some very little, and some are just forgotten. They've been put on the south side of a stucco wall, in a woodland setting and now in bright sun in a mixed border. The results are 50-50. A couple (like in the dappled-light-only woodland plant) did brilliantly, while others with average care and watering in full sun struggled. Two plants from the same nursery, same size and planted in the same garden plot will have totally different outcomes. Last year our winter hit 0 and both of my lavateras that thrived last year have a few leaves but no flower buds and we're into the middle of July. When they do well they're beautiful, but after 35 years and paying perrenial prices for a little better than annual plants, I'm throwing in the towel. Beautiful flowers but I've done my time.

To people buying this plant it seems too good to be true; fast growing, smothered in white and red flowers, and needing very little atten...Read Moretion.

The downside is that shoots from low down tend to revert to the pink 'Rosea' flowers, and the plant usually dies after its second or third flowering.

The obvious solution is to mark stems that are definitely of the Barnsley' type, and take cuttings in the fall so it can be replaced.
Only buy plants which are in flower, because many plants offered for sale are cuttings from reverted shoots, so you will end up with the same old pink flowers!

Actually lavateras reward you if you give them some attention - water them in dry spells, feed them with a balanced granular fertiliser, spray with insecticide and fungicide, and clear weeds and dead leaves etc from around the base.
Cut back the old flowering stems after flowering, and cut back to two feet from the ground in early spring. Late pruning - the beginning of May in the U.K., produces fewer but larger flowers and a healthier looking plant.
This sort of treatment may prolong the plant's life by a couple of years.

A number of similar white and red cultivars exist: 'Lisanne' and 'Blushing Bride' which are said to be less inclined to revert, but they are difficult to obtain - perhaps they are not as eye-catching.

Bought this plant on a whim in the spring of 2007. It came in a 4" pot and boy did it take off when I planted it in the ground. I plan...Read Moreted it on a northeast corner of a stone wall. It bloomed profusely all summer and well into the fall. It grew to two to three feet tall and about 3 feet wide. This was a very dry summer and I only watered it the first couple of weeks of planting; no fertilizer. I had no problems with insects either.