Lavatera, the tree mallow is a beautiful perennial that blooms generously for a long time.
| Name | Lavatera |
|---|---|
| Family | Malvaceae, the mallow family |
| Type | Annual or short-lived perennial shrub |
| Height | 20 inches to 6 feet (50 cm to 1.8 m), depending on the type |
| Exposure | Full sun, sheltered from wind |
| Soil | Ordinary, but well drained |
| Foliage | Deciduous |
| Flowering | July to October |
| Hardiness | Down to 5 °F (−15 °C) |
| Lifespan | Three to five years; take cuttings in April to replace it |
Easy to care for, it is perfectly suited to balconies, terraces and to the garden.
Tree mallow is best planted in spring but it can also be planted in fall, especially in areas where the winter climate is mild.
This is easy and it is even recommended to multiply your tree mallow so that the base of the plant can be regenerated over the years.
For annuals, sow in the vegetable patch directly in April and water on a regular basis.
Tree mallow adapts perfectly to being grown in pots or garden boxes. Very hardy, it resists low temperatures down to down to 5°F (-15°C).
Although this plant doesn’t require a lot of water, it is important to water it over the 1st year after planting so that roots can develop and the plant can settle in.
Tree mallow flowers on wood made the same year, which is what makes it forgiving: whatever
you cut in spring will be replaced by the time it blooms. The mistake is pruning in autumn, when
a hollow, freshly cut stem fills with water and rots through the winter.
| Period | What to do | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| Early spring, as buds swell | Cut the whole plant back hard, to about 12 inches (30 cm) | Flowers form on new wood, so nothing is lost and the base stays furnished |
| Through summer | Snap off spent flowers as you pass | Seed-setting stops the plant flowering; deadheading keeps it going into October |
| Any time | Remove reverted pink shoots on pale cultivars, at the base | Reverted growth is more vigorous and takes over within two seasons |
| Autumn | Nothing, beyond tidying broken stems | Hollow cut stems fill with winter rain and rot down into the crown |
Remove wilted flowers during the blooming regularly in order to boost flower-bearing.
It is important to prune back short at the beginning of spring to give the plant vigor and avoid it growing too large.
A plant with abundant blooming, tree mallow also has the advantage of growing and spreading very fast.
Its flowers tend to bloom repeatedly from the month of June up until the first frost spells.
With its balanced shrubby silhouette, this annual or perennial plant will fit right in among other perennials or shrubs in a flower bed.
Tree mallow grows in the wild in the Mediterranean are, usually on rather poor and rocky ground.
Three quite different plants are sold as tree mallow, and the care they need diverges on one
point only: how long they live, and therefore whether you replace them or prune them.
| Name | Type | Height | Flower | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L. trimestris | Annual | 24 to 32 in (60 to 80 cm) | Large and satiny, white to deep pink | Sown in place in April. ‘Silver Cup’ and ‘Mont Blanc’ are the usual strains |
| × clementii ‘Rosea’ | Shrubby perennial | 6 ft (1.8 m) | Clear mid-pink | The most robust and the longest-lived of the hybrids |
| × clementii ‘Barnsley’ | Shrubby perennial | 6 ft (1.8 m) | Near-white with a red eye, ageing to pink | Reverts to plain pink. Cut reverted shoots out at the base |
| × clementii ‘Burgundy Wine’ | Shrubby perennial | 5 ft (1.5 m) | Deep magenta with darker veins | Holds its colour in sun far better than the pale forms |
| × clementii ‘Bredon Springs’ | Shrubby perennial | 5 ft (1.5 m) | Dusky mauve-pink | The longest season of the group, often still going in late October |
| L. thuringiaca | Herbaceous perennial | 4 ft (1.2 m) | Soft pink | Dies back to the ground and returns. The hardiest of the three types |
| L. maritima | Sub-shrub | 3 ft (1 m) | Pale lilac with a dark eye | Mediterranean and the least hardy. Needs sharp drainage and a wall |
The rule that follows from the table: anything labelled × clementii is cut back
hard in spring and replaced from cuttings every few years. Anything else is either sown afresh or
left alone.
My laverteria looks nearly dead through delivery all the leaves are dead . Will it be ok pruning in spring keep in cold frame
Yes, it sounds like it suffered a lot during the transport, I’m sorry to hear that! The advantage is that this triggered the dormant phase, so your thinking is correct: it’s ready for winter. Plant it as described in the article, perhaps soak the clump in not-too-cold water for 5 minutes before putting it in the ground if you haven’t planted it yet (don’t dig it up if you’ve already transferred it to the ground). If it’s in a cold frame it’s even better, spread a little mulch (hay… or any other plant mulch) around the base to keep it warmer, too.
When spring starts coming in (be on the lookout for grape hyacinth and daffodils to give you the signal), you can go ahead and prune it. Normally it should have survived all three ordeals: transpo, transplant and winter!