What old-fashioned flower is equally at home against a barn wall or suburban fence, in narrow city lanes or a spacious country garden? Most gardeners are first introduced to the mallow family, Malvacea, through the flower hollyhocks. But plants as diverse as tropical hibiscus, rose of Sharon and common mallow are relatives of hollyhocks. What do they have in common? Family resemblance is most obvious in the flower form: the majority of mallows are more or less funnel-shaped, with five overlapping, heart-shaped petals flaring out from a prominent pistil. Also distinctive is the column of bushy stamens, like a little brush. In many mallows, fine veins of contrasting colour radiate from a central five-point star. Once you make the visual connection, you may recognize other members of the Malvacea family – hollyhock cousins. Note: If one family member thrives in your garden, its relatives likely will, too. Meet the mallows, cousins of the hollyhock, exuberant plants at home in cottage or formal gardens.

Mallow is a lovely flower that blooms in late summer and into fall. Malva is the ancient Latin name for mallow. Mallow is a bushy perennial with stout stems growing to 4 feet. Soft green, fingered leaves and 5-petaled flowers in the leaf axils bloom over a long period. They are easy to care for and are not fussy about soil, any good garden soil will do. They adapt to dry conditions, but do require full sun or some afternoon shade. Propagate by seed or by division in early spring. Malvas are most effective when planted mid-border.

Musk mallow (Malva moschata, Hardy to Zone 3)

This mallow has always been considered an ornamental in its native Europe. Seeds were carried to this country by early settlers as a reminder of gardens left behind. The plant soon colonized fields and roadsides throughout Canada and the northern U.S. They have now come full circle, as roadside musk mallows leap back into cultivation. They stand out from other wildflowers – a bit fancier. Gardeners plant them deliberately in our flower beds where they pop up every year and we usually let them stay.

The musk mallow bears satiny, funnel-shaped flowers tinted soft mauve – mauve is French for “mallow” – or white. Starter plants give quick results; seeds are a slower but sure way to bring this easy-care, perennial into the garden. Start seeds indoors or simply sow them where you want them in spring. Plants may bloom the first year or take a season to mature and will grow to a space-filling shape in the mid-section of a garden. Musk mallows flower all through July and August. Rustic or refined, musk mallows are elegant enough for formal beds but tough enough to naturalize in rougher parts of the garden. Although perennial, they are not long-lived. Younger plants give the best display. Let them seed at will and pull out any that are out of place. Anyone who has grown hollyhocks will recognize the family’s strength and weakness: many mallows seed vigorously, but few (except for roses of Sharon and shrubs) live beyond their third or fourth winter.

Prairie mallow (Sidalcea) Common name is miniature hollyhock. Slender and upright, the prairie mallow is not extravagantly showy, but is pretty in sunny beds. Like most of the family, it has many blooms, flowering for weeks in midsummer. The shallow saucer-shaped flowers are smaller than those of musk mallows, with tapering stems, which are useful for cutting. Prairie mallows look a bit wild. Gardeners interested in native plants should know that two species, the white – flowered S. candida and mauve – pink S. malviflora (both Zone 5 but has survived in my Zone 4 garden for many years), are native to the western regions of North America. The latter has given rise to several hybrids. All put on a flowering show with many suitable flower companions. Grow one prairie mallow and before long you’re sure to have a few more from seed.

Striped mallow (Malva sylvestris mauritanica, Zones 4 to 8) Common name is Zebra Mallow. Taller, more robust and wilder-looking than the prairie mallow, the striped mallow can grow 23-47 inches tall, opening rose-purple flowers prominently veined with maroon, looking like loose-petal hollyhocks, from July to October. Cultivars exhibit the bold stripes that give them their common name. Very short-lived, sometimes called annual or biennial, this informal mallow can be counted on to come up from its own seeds. If you get too many, pull them up. An old European cottage-garden plant, the striped mallow is not for gardeners who want an orderly, everything-in-its-place kind of garden; this plant belongs where there is space to fill.

Lavatera: Two Lavatera are in the mallow family. The tree mallow (L. olbia) looks more like a small shrub than a perennial, but comes back from its base each spring. Zones 6 to 8, it is not a sure bet in most of Minnesota, but clumps have survived in Zone 4 gardens for years with winter protection. Apparently all the rage in Europe, tree mallows are just beginning to catch on in Minnesota gardens. With hibiscus-like form and pleasant color at the back of the bed the branches tend to flop (can grow to 6 ft tall), but staking or a cage will keep this mallow upright and where it belongs. The wild tree mallow blooms are pale lavender. Tree mallows are among the longest-blooming perennials, starting in early July and often opening fresh flowers late into the fall.

L. trimestris is a true annual (also called rose mallow). Different from other mallows, and one of the showiest hollyhock cousins, unfurls satiny funnels from midsummer until frost. Tall, well-grown plants branch out freely to form bushy clumps of round, dark green leaves studded with flowers. Seeds can be sown like lettuce in spring and the ripe seeds can be picked at the end of the summer. The same steps can be followed in any garden, sowing seeds, after last frost, directly where they are to bloom, then thinning the seedlings. For early bloom, start seeds indoors. Seedlings appear in four days; thin out to the strongest plant. Nurseries often stock plants of this showy mallow.

Rust control: Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) would likely be in more gardens if it weren’t for two serious flaws. First, the plants are not long-lived; and (maybe worse) their leaves are susceptible to hollyhock rust, a disfiguring fungus that starts out as orange pimples and quickly spreads. Younger plants are less prone to attack, so the best prevention may be to root out hollyhocks after their second summer when they are usually rotting at the crowns anyway. One method of rust control is to simply cut the leaves as they shrivel, often removing every last leaf. But, to some gardeners, hollyhocks look better flying their colours without foliage than with a bunch of crumpled brown leaves hanging from their stalks. Growing hollyhocks behind perennials that sport good foliage helps hide their lanky, bare limbs. Which leads to a third problem: hollyhocks like to pick their own location, coming up from seed in odd, unlikely places. Still, there’s nothing as tall or colourful as hollyhocks in summer.