March 2, 2012

You're Missing Out if You Don't...


You are missing out if you don't plant this tough, drought tolerant, prolific bloomer. 

This globe mallow Sphaeralcea munroana is hands down the wonder plant of my garden.  It scorns severe freezing temperatures and prolonged periods of intense heat and drought without so much as a burned leaf or slight wilt and the pollinators love it. 


Feast your eyes on all those Pantone Color of the Year 2012 Tangerine Tango blooms! 


The evergreen foliage is a plus too.  The gray/green shade visually cools down the dry, full sun location and its ruffled leaves add an interesting texture to a perennial planting.


Look at all those buds on the verge of bursting open!  This plant is suitable for zones 4a-9b and gets about 48" tall.  Mine is on its third season and gets a significant trim twice a year - once in late winter/early spring and again in late summer.  The spring and fall blooming cycles produce the most abundant blooms but it does bloom sporadically through the winter and summer months in my garden.


It's lovely paired with another favorite, Gulf coast penstemon which will be blooming soon.

I've enjoyed this plant so much that I've added a second.  The new one has pink blooms and the foliage is a bit different; the leaves are more slender.  I'll keep you posted as to how it performs in my most difficult flower bed.


31 comments:

  1. I sure do want to grow this plant.

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    1. Alan, I've got a few seeds for you and will collect more from this bloom cycle. I haven't forgotten you!

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  2. I love both of those plants. My Globe Mallow is blooming, but not the Gulf Penstemmon. Globe Mallow is magnificent planted under/beside Mt. Laurel. Try it. It'll take your breath away!

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    1. I love that combo idea, Tina. Wish I could try it. My mountain laurel gets a lot of shade. :( My penstemon isn't blooming yet either. Just wanted to give a visual of what the combo is like. I'm hoping to add more penstemon this spring. I lost a couple to last summer's heat. I'll give them more afternoon protection this time!

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  3. I'm planning on adding both of these plants to my garden. Thanks for the inspiration. Great pics, once again:)

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  4. Globe Mallow is a plant on my list, I might just move it up in priority after seeing this.

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  5. Love the globe mallow. Is it easy to find?

    Laura

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    1. I find it most reliably at Barton Springs Nursery, Laura. Usually in 1 gallon pots. The pink variety I found there in a 4" pot.

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  6. When I lived in San Antonio I had problems with the Penstemmon because of my poor draining soil. It usually rotted out.

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  7. I just added an orange globe mallow to my garden as well. I paired it with a Mexican bush sage, which is also a purple flowering plant. I hope the bush sage doesn't overwhelm it. I think they get kind of big.

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  8. Now that is lovely! I love the foliage as well as the bloom and its colour. Wonder if I can get one here, will keep an eye open. I'm enjoying my recently acquired Penstemon too. Lovely photos as always Cat :)

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  9. What a lovely plant and such a great color! If it is really hardy to Zone 4 I will definitely have to give it a try in my family's Zone 6 garden.

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  10. I don't know that I have ever seen this plant at the nurseries. I will have my eye out for one. It sounds like a must have.

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  11. Love the hardiness and color is stunning...love to see the pink one too

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  12. I just got it at BSN and the red one too. I hope they like my garden as much as yours.

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  13. Hi Cat, I am always excited to discover a new plant that I am not familiar with. I like the foliage on your globe mallow Sphaeralcea munroana and the orange flowers are a great bonus. Penstemon are a favourite, although they have to be grown as annuals here.

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  14. Your globemallows are nice...the species you use work well for me ibn others' landscapes, but they need more water than I can give them to look decent. As to penstemons, I only have a plant a few, and then they reseed all over, hybridize, etc...but only a few grow that well for others I design for! Paybacks?

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  15. How pretty Cat! I love that grey foliage with the vibrant orange blooms. I have never saw this one before. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  16. Jenny, I'm sure they'll thrive in your sunny garden!! Can't wait to see what you pair it with.

    @DD, I wish my penstemon had reseeded. It was such a tough summer, I'm just happy it survived!

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  17. Your mallow is gorgeous. I had a lush, full specimen that got whipped around in the winds this week and more than 75% of the branches (and blossoms) broke off. I think there's enough of the plant left that it'll eventually recover, but it may take a while. In the meantime, I'll live vicariously through yours!

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  18. Wonder if I can get the seeds here in Japan... the orange color does look very pretty...

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  19. Beautiful flower, and would work great with the tempermental weather we get here...Deb

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  20. I love the orange and gray green foliage together in the globe mallow. Is it deer resistant?

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  21. Kim, deer aren't one of my gardening dilemmas (fortunately!) so I don't have experience with them in my own garden. The leaves are fuzzy though and I've heard that will sometimes deter them...it's not particularly strong smelling/tasting (another deterrent)...

    Just saw this website which suggests that deer like it...
    http://www.gardenguides.com/104918-orange-mallow-plant.html

    In my own garden the rabbits leave it alone but in my neighbor's garden the rabbits ate it to the ground...you just never know.

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  22. I love the delicate flowers on your penstemon. They are one of my favourite plants in the garden with their bright blooms.

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  23. Penstemon is one of my favorite plants. Yours look great! I swear I've never seen globe mallow here but maybe I've never seen it simply because I wasn't looking for it. After what you went through last summer, you deserve plants as tough as Texas. :o)

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  24. I wasn't aching for more ornamental plants this year until I saw these two. Great photos, as always!

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  25. What beautiful silver foliage! I really love the free flowing sprawl of this plant, it would look great in a cottage garden..love!! Thanks Cat, will add this to my list...Cheers J xx

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  26. It really is a stunning plant. I have the clear red and the orange, and I recently added three more oranges to the bed I'm sharing with my neighbor. Love it!

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  27. @Pam, Have you had any experience with the deer favoring it? Your first two are in your back garden, right? Curious to know if the deer will find them tasty with those fuzzy leaves.

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  28. Cat, so far the deer have totally ignored the three globe mallows out front. They've been there for a few weeks, so I'm feeling hopeful that the fuzzy, silvery leaves are not tasty.

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