Mallow, <em>Malva</em>: sowing, planting, cultivation

When and how to sow mallow seeds

If in autumn you collected small brown seeds arranged in concentric circles in the dried capsules of your mallow plants, sow them. Otherwise, choose from our mallow seeds and do your sowing from March to May.

In a seed tray

• Sow seeds broadcast in a seed tray filled with seed compost and a little sand
• Cover seeds with 1/2 cm of compost
• Firm down lightly
• Keep moist but not waterlogged at 21°C until germination, which takes 15–21 days
• Pot seedlings individually into 8 cm pots when they have 3 or 4 leaves
• When they are well established, plant out in open ground or into larger pots without disturbing rootballs

In open ground

You can also sow mallow seeds directly in situ in May, in warmed soil, to have flowers from the first summer.

• Crumb soil well to spade depth
• Sow broadcast or in drills, spacing seeds loosely
• Cover with a few centimetres of compost
• Firm down lightly with back of rake
• Water with a fine spray and keep soil moist until germination, which takes 2–4 weeks
• Thin out sowings when young plants have 3 or 4 leaves
• Keep only one young plant every 15 or 20 cm

Maintenance, pruning and care

Mallow requires little maintenance. It is ideal in low‑maintenance gardens as it needs no watering and tolerates drought well once established: water if dry weather persists, but do not flood and avoid wetting foliage.

When they reach 30 cm in height, with a finger, pinch the stems (cut the tips) to encourage them to ramify.

Stake taller species if necessary, especially in rich soil where they tend to flop in the wind.

After flowering, allow to set seed to benefit from spontaneous sowings.

Pruning is not necessary. In March, using pruning shear, simply cut back dead foliage to ground level.

When and how to harvest mallow?

Although Malva sylvestris is well known for its medicinal virtues, you should know that all mallow species are edible. Harvest the flowers of Mallow before they are fully open. You can cook them fresh in flower salads or use them dried in infusions or decoctions as a medicinal plant.

How to dry mallow?

Hang the stems upside down to dry in a dry, airy place. Dried mallow flowers can be kept for a long time in jars away from light.

Possible diseases and pests

Like all Malvaceae, this cousin of hollyhock can be prone to foliar spots and rust, a fungus that appears as orange pustules on leaves. Not serious, it is more unsightly than truly dangerous for Mallow. Humid conditions favour their development: avoid watering foliage and, as a preventive measure, apply horsetail decoctions.

→ Read more on this topic: “getting rid of rust disease”

Propagation

Mallow self-seeds readily if the soil suits it, allow spontaneous sowings to develop or follow our tips above to sow mallow seeds properly.

Division

In October, divide adult clumps 2 or 3 years old.

• Lift the clump with a digging fork
• Separate the rootball into several divisions, each with roots
• Replant each new young plant immediately in a pot or in the garden in well-prepared soil

Pairing mallow in the garden

Very easy to combine, with its silhouette both simple and elegant, Mallow asserts itself in all natural gardens, parsonage gardens and cottage gardens. Versatile, it settles in a naturalistic meadow or simply in a simple summer border.

Useful in pink gardens or mauve-inspired schemes, surrounded by its cousins lavateras, hibiscus or hollyhocks!

Use freely to flower a naturalistic meadow with cosmos, annual poppies, yarrow, nepeta, centaureas and Echinops.

An example of a combination : Achillea millefolium ‘Red Velvet’, Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’, Malva sylvestris ‘Primley Blue’, Papaver somniferum, Cosmos atrosanguineus ‘Chocamocha’

Excels in borders alongside carnations and bellflowers.

On the edge of a border, it will add a delicate touch alongside roses, Knautia macedonica, foxgloves or gypsophila.

In a pink garden, mix a few clumps of mallow with sedums, gaura, paniculate phlox, agastache, valerian, hybrid mulleins, hardy geraniums.

Pastel-coloured flowers will struggle to compete with very bright colours but will be marvellous with the purple foliage of heucheras or the glaucous foliage of perennial artemisias and corn poppies to create very soft scenes in the heart of summer.

In a bed of summer perennials, it will slip perfectly between penstemons, light grasses, perennial flax, nigellas, acanthus.

Play on the pink/green contrasting combinations by pairing it with euphorbias and alchemilla in acid-yellow tones.

An idea for a contrasting combination : Malva sylvestris, Euphorbia characias ssp wulfenii, Euphorbia cyparissias ‘Orange Man’ (or ‘Fens Ruby’ would also be perfect)

Mallow excels in borders with carnations, ornamental alliums and catmints.

In an area reserved for edible and aromatic plants, pair mallow with monarda.