Lavatera

Tree mallow 'Bredon Springs' is literally a magnet for the eyes and for beneficial insects in your garden. This massive, shrub-like growing perennial, native to the western Mediterranean, does not deny its southern temperament and loves sunny locations with well-drained, loamy soil. It stands out with an incredibly long blooming period, tirelessly producing a flood of large, deep pink flowers resembling hibiscuses from June until the end of the summer holidays. Thanks to its lush growth, it is perfectly suited for the rear parts of perennial beds, where it will create a rich green wall in a short time, or as a dominant feature in country gardens. The flowers are additionally edible, so you can use them to decorate summer salads or desserts. In our climatic conditions, this tree mallow behaves more like a short-lived perennial or subshrub. Although it tolerates frosts down to -10 °C, in colder areas of the country it will appreciate a winter cover or being planted in a protected, warm spot sheltered from the wind. Its cultivation is very easy, making it an ideal choice even for novice gardeners who want to quickly fill empty spaces in a flower bed. The upright stems are also suitable for cutting into large summer bouquets, where they stay fresh for several days. It is good to continuously remove faded flowers, which will encourage the setting of new buds and prolong the season of colors until late summer.

Tree mallow Lilac Lady is an impressive dominant feature of summer flower beds that will win you over with a flood of soft violet flowers. This vigorously growing perennial, botanically classified among the mallow family, resembles hibiscus or hollyhocks with its flowers, but it forms richly branched shrubs growing up to a height of one and a half meters. The Lilac Lady cultivar boasts a pastel lilac shade with darker venation, which stands out beautifully in full sun in well-drained loamy soil. Although it is a short-lived perennial that in our conditions requires winter cover or a sheltered location (frost hardiness down to -10°C), its rapid growth and tireless flowering from June to August will richly compensate for this care. The flowers are also edible, so you can decorate summer salads or desserts with them. The plant is literally a magnet for bees and other pollinators, thereby livening up every corner of the garden. If you like making bouquets, it will please you as a cut flower too, adding a rustic charm to arrangements in a vase.