Anisodontea scabrosa Miss Pinky - Cape Mallow

Anisodontea scabrosa 'Miss Pinky' is a well-branched Cape mallow shrub capable of producing a multitude of light pink flowers with dark pink markings between spring and autumn, provided it has enough water and sunlight. Its foliage is fragrant and persists more or less throughout winter. It is a highly ornamental plant from South Africa, but it is sensitive to cold temperatures and should be grown in a large pot on the terrace or in the ground in coastal gardens.

Anisodontea, like the shrubby mallows, belongs to the large family of Malvaceae. It is a genus native to South Africa, which includes large woody perennials that are not very hardy. Anisodontea scabrosa is native to the Cape Peninsula, a region with winter rains. This shrub is found in sunny, sheltered, and bushy areas along the coast. This species with rough leaves grows in various soils, often disturbed, but mainly on low-lying coastal sands. Although not very hardy, this plant shows good resistance to summer drought once well established in the ground.

The cultivar 'Miss Pinky' is a South African horticultural creation by Moolman dating back to 2005. Half-perennial, half-shrub, this plant has a bushy and well-branched habit. It quickly reaches a height of 1.20 m with a spread of 90 cm, or even more when planted in the ground. This small shrub offers countless small round flowers with a diameter of 3 cm, consisting of five petals, in a beautiful pastel pink with dark pink veining around a throat of the same deep pink. These flowers, appearing in the axils of each leaf, are ephemeral, but they continuously renew themselves from May-June to October-November, throughout the entire growing season, in successive waves induced by proper watering and good growing conditions. The sparse foliage can be evergreen or deciduous depending on the severity of the winter. It consists of highly dissected, puckered, slightly hairy and sticky dark green leaves, with an aromatic scent.

Anisodontea 'Miss Pinky' is an excellent plant for terraces and patios, to be stored indoors in a cool and very bright place during cold winters. It thrives in full sun and shows greater longevity in well-drained soil. In regions with mild winters, it will look beautiful in a small informal hedge or in a bed of shrubs with blue flowers, such as Ceanothus 'Concha' or Ceratostigma 'Forest Blue', which will enhance its generous pink flowering. It also pairs well with purple shrubby salvias and purple foliage. Its combination with its cousins,  Lavateras and Common Mallow, is full of romance.