" The author of the following text is a reader of the magazine Przepis na Ogród - Marian Wicha from Michów. "
I call the mallow a forgotten beauty, because this charming plant is not often found in our plots.But it used to be different. Especially it could not be missing in rural home gardens and that is why today this flower is a symbol of an idyllic landscape.
In the Polish climate, mallow is a biennial plant, but it can survive even for 3 to 4 seasons. I breed it from seeds that emerge very quickly. When the seedlings have two or three leaves, I plant them every 60 cm in a permanent place - usually along the fence or the house.In this way, I provide the flowers with the necessary space for expansion and the necessary support.They can grow up to several meters in height!Besides, the fence or the wall of the building create quiet corners in which tall plants are protected against breaking by the wind.
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One of the most popular varieties of mallow is Althaea rosea (Photo: Fotolia.com) |
Mallows bloom from June until October. In the first season after sowing, they are not very generous in this respect, but in the next season you can admire them in all their glory.Depending on the variety, the flowers have different colors - from white, through pink, maroon to black. I tried out that if we remove the dried-up remnants after flowering, the plants will bloom a second time.
I have 11 varieties of mallow in my collection. None of them are picky about the soil or cause trouble to grow. Only in cool and rainy summers can these plants become infected with mallow rust. Then I just cut the diseased parts of the plants and burn them.
Beware of self-seeding!
Mallows seed themselves. It may happen that a modest discount quickly turns into an unplanned thicket.To prevent this from happening, cut the flowers as soon as they bloom.Thanks to this, the seeds will not mature and the plants will bloom again.
