Malva moschata - summer-long flowering
Malva moschata, the musk mallow, has been a favourite in my garden for a decade now. A native plant in the U.K. it has beautiful pink flowers that are held on strong woody stems reaching 6 feet tall at times. Requiring no staking it’s a great contributor to the garden, usually in flower for around ten weeks and proving an irrresistable attraction to insects.
I first introduced it to the garden as a seedling from a friend’s garden and have had it ever since. Despite the individual plants being relatively short lived, its propensity to seed around gently means I haven’t had a year without it since I brought it home.
Describing it as having woody stems might be a bit misleading - it’s actually a herbaceous perennial but the stems quickly harden up giving it a shrubby appearance when first encountered. As a plant it’s very easy from seed. Chiltern Seeds are a reliable supplier and offer the species that I have, a pale pink form called ‘Apple Blossom’ and a white form, alba. It’s one of those plants that I’ve become rather attached to and will always find a place for in future gardens should I ever have to move.
