Lavatera is blooming,
It delights with its beauty,
White, pink flower,
Like a petal of silk.Decorates the garden and yard,
She opened her eyes to the sky,
Eyelashes stretch towards the sun
Malva's little sister!
Lavatera is another beautiful and easy-to-care-for annual that graces yards and garden plots in our Krasnoyarsk home. I sow Lavatera seeds every year, and this lovely flower grows and blooms profusely until the frost.
Many people call this plant by different names—mallow, mallow, wild rose, or dog rose. But regardless of its name, this flower is popular among gardeners.
Lavatera bushes can be low, up to 50 cm, or they can grow to more than one and a half meters.
In 2019, we grew gigantic bushes, taller than the greenhouse, with large pink flowers—the "Silver Bowl" variety. All our neighbors at the dacha asked what kind of tall flower it was. Perhaps the Lavatera grew so tall because of the soil. We covered all the flowerbeds with compost in the spring, and the flowers grew like crazy. We had to drive a tall stake next to the bushes and tie down the sturdy stems to prevent them from breaking in the wind. Such enormous bushes blocked the sunlight from reaching the plants growing nearby.
I prefer medium or low bushes. The Lavatera 'Mont Blanc' variety is medium-height, and its flowers are large and pure white. However, the plants still need to be staked; rain and wind can cause the bush to fall apart, with the stems bending to the ground and breaking off.
Lavatera 'Malvina' is a mix of pink, white, raspberry, and purple. Unfortunately, I only got pink flowers, but I wanted a variety of shades.
I grow seedlings in a greenhouse, the seedlings grow well, they do not stretch out, they are always strong and healthy.
At the end of May, I transplant the seedlings into the flower beds. I plant the seedlings in a circle, several per hole.
When Lavatera blooms, it produces a large bouquet. The plant's leaves are initially round, but as they grow, they become maple-leaf-like.
Lavatera begins blooming in June, and the bushes are covered in large, funnel-shaped flowers with delicate petals, creating a stunning appearance. Even the unopened buds are stunning in their beauty.
The faded flowers fall off, and in their place appear round, green seed pods. When the seeds ripen, the pods turn black, containing large black seeds. These can be collected for propagation.
In the spring, seedlings appear where the dog rose grew. But here they are killed by night frosts.
Lavatera doesn't require frequent watering, and it doesn't require much fertilization. Aphids sometimes infest young shoots; to kill them, simply spray the plant with an aphid repellent or wash it with a solution of laundry soap. I've never encountered any diseases on the plant, although I've read that excess moisture can cause a fungal disease called rust to develop on the leaves. But even in this rainy summer, my Lavatera is doing just fine.