In many gardens and in the flower beds of summer cottages, you can see an attractive mallow or stock-rose. The flower can grow in temperate climates, therefore, as a perennial plant, it is grown in almost all regions of our country. An unpretentious and hardy plant is loved by many gardeners. The variety of species and colors of mallow can satisfy any landscape designer.
Description, types and photos of mallow
A flower growing in natural conditions can have height from 30 to 110 cm... The plant is distinguished by heart-shaped leaves and large flowers up to 13 cm in diameter. The color of the oblong petals depends on the species and variety. They can be white, pink, lilac, burgundy, and even almost black.
Popular varieties
All types and varieties of mallow are divided into annuals and perennials.
Annual mallow is a biennial plant, but is grown as an annual. It grows up to 1.2 m and is distinguished by dark stripes on flower petals. Among the most famous varieties can be distinguished:
The Black Pearl variety is a plant with large flowers, the diameter of which can reach 70 mm. Its velvet purple petals are decorated with black stripes.- The Zebrina variety is a bush decorated with massive pink flowers, the petals of which are distinguished by dark red stripes.
Perennial mallow very loved by gardeners. Among the whole variety of its varieties, the following can be distinguished:
- Wrinkled mallow in garden plots reaches a height of no more than 90 cm, although in nature it can grow up to one and a half meters and more. The plant is decorated with yellow flowers with a diameter of up to 3 cm.
- Sudanese mallow has medicinal properties and is grown mainly for the sake of the fruit. A shrub and tree-like plant is known.
- Mallows "Pink Tower" and "White Tower" grow up to 70 cm. They bloom for a long time almost until frost.
- Musk mallow or nutmeg reaches a height of 1 m. Its very fragrant white and pink flowers have a diameter of 30-50 mm.
Hybrid mallows are also perennial crops. They differ in height up to 180 cm, large stems and flowers of a pale pink or white shade. Flowering lasts from early summer to the coldest autumn.
Perennial mallow: planting and care
In one place, a plant can grow without any transplants for a long time, so the site must immediately meet all the conditions for growing a flower.
Mallows love well-lit places, protected from direct sunlight and strong winds. The best soil for them is light loam. It must be well-drained and nutritious.
Mallow seeds for seedlings are sown at home in April or early May. Sowing in open ground is carried out at the end of June. Home-grown seedlings per plot landed only at the end of August.
Mallow does not require special care. It is enough to water them on time and regularly and sometimes to feed them. In warm weather, watering is done once a week, and on hot days, the bushes are watered abundantly. The stock-rose does not like stagnation of water in the soil, therefore, waterlogging of the soil cannot be allowed.
Once every 15-20 days, mallows are fed with a weak solution of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. For additional aeration, the soil is periodically recommended to be cleaned of weeds and loosened. This must be done very carefully so as not to damage the delicate root system of the stem-rose.
To prevent the wind from breaking tall bushes, they need to be tied to supports. Around the middle of summer, seeds can be collected from the plant and prepared. After flowering, the stalks of the mallow are cut off.
In autumn, caring for mallow consists in preparing the plant for wintering. For this use fallen leaves, which covers the areas where stock rose bushes grow.
The appearance of small red spots on the leaves may indicate that the plant has been damaged by rust. Mallows can also be prone to mosaics and powdery mildew. Therefore, it is not recommended to plant them for two years on areas previously infected with these diseases. When signs of one of these diseases appear, the affected leaves are broken off and burned, and the bushes are necessarily treated with fungicidal preparations.
Mallow - growing from seeds
You can sow seeds directly in open ground or first grow seedlings from them at home.
Sowing seeds in open ground
You can sow seeds before winter or at the end of spring, when the last frosts have passed. To do this, in holes about 3 cm in size place two or three seeds at a time... Seeds covered with earth and slightly rammed are well watered and covered with acrylic or polyethylene. In this case, the earth will not dry out, and the seeds will swell and sprout faster.
The first shoots should appear in about two weeks. The polyethylene must be removed immediately. When two or three true leaves appear on the seedlings, a pick is made.
The mallow planted immediately in the ground will bloom only in the second year. In the year of planting, only a leaf rosette will form in the plant. When growing stock roses in good conditions, self-seeding will be carried out, and the plantings will begin to renew themselves.
Growing seedlings
Propagation of stock roses by seedling method has its own nuances:
- The long and fragile roots of mallow are easily damaged, and after transplantation, it takes root very poorly. Therefore, it is recommended to grow seedlings in peat pots or small containers that can also be placed in the soil.
- Seeds are sown in April or May and are kept at a temperature of 18-20C.
- After about two weeks, the first seedlings should appear, which are exposed to a more illuminated, but less warm place.
- The soil needs to be watered regularly, not allowing it to dry out.
- If there are many seedlings in one container, then they can be thinned out. The distance between them should be about three centimeters.
- Seedlings with three true leaves dive into deeper separate containers.
In August, the grown seedlings are planted in a permanent place in the open ground. The distance between them should be within 25-50 cm.
Rooting cuttings
In order not to lose varietal differences, terry species propagated by cuttings of various types:
- stem cuttings take root in early summer;
- cuttings cut at the root are suitable for planting in spring.
Mallows in landscape design
Stock roses are suitable for decorating flower beds. Mallows will look especially beautiful if they are planted in a group. They can land along the fence or buildings, covering the nondescript structures. With the help of stem-rose bushes, you can delimit space on the site or draw a beautiful line in the background. Having picked up a palette of shades of mallow and other perennials, you can build a beautiful flower bed.
Having planted perennial mallow in your garden, and properly caring for it, you can enjoy an amazingly beautifully blooming flower garden all summer long. In addition, your family will be provided with a medicinal plant that is used according to traditional medicine recipes.
Tatyana
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