Achieve A Charming Cottage Garden Aesthetic With These 14 Tree Mallows
Elizabeth is a Permaculture Garden Designer, Sustainability Consultant and Professional Writer, working as an advocate for positive change. She graduated from the University of St. Andrews with an MA in English and Philosophy and obtained a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design from the Permaculture Association.
Reviewed By ROY NICOL
Roy is a Professional Gardener and Horticultural Consultant, specialising in large garden year-round maintenance and garden development. He is an RHS Master of Horticulture and uses his research in the application of no-dig methods in ornamental garden settings. Roy has been a Professional Gardener for more than six years and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, Professional Gardener's Guild and Association of Professional Landscapers (Professional Gardener).
IN THIS GUIDE
- 1) M. arborea
- 2) M. x clementii ‘Barnsley Baby’
- 3) M. x clementii ‘Bredon Springs’
- 4) M. x clementii ‘Burgundy Wine’
- 5) M. x clementii ‘Candy Floss’
- 6) M. x clementii ‘Lavender Lady’
- 7) M. x clementii ‘Mary Hope’
- 8) M. x clementii ‘Rosea’
- 9) L. maritima
- 10) M. thuringiaca
- 11) M. trimestris ‘Beauty Series’
- 12) M. trimestris ‘Mont Blanc’
- 13) M. trimestris ‘Silver Cup’
- 14) M. trimestris ‘Twins Hot Pink’
Malvas (until recently known as Lavateras) are popular cottage garden plants that can work well in many different garden schemes, but choosing a variety means wading through a whole raft of different options.
This genus contains numerous different plants, which can be annuals, biennials, herbaceous perennials or shrubby plants.
When choosing which Malva varieties to grow, I would argue there are a number of different things to think about.
You should consider not only the colour of the blooms, but also the size to which the plants will eventually grow, their growth habit and form – and how hardy they will be in your particular area of the UK.
In my area of Northern Scotland, I would only ever grow herbaceous perennial or shrubby types that are hardy to at least H5 (tolerant to -10°C to -15°C).
Here are fourteen of my favourite varieties – remember every variety in this list must be grown in full sun:
1) M. arborea
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Mallow
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
- FLOWERS: Pink
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
This tree mallow is a biennial or short-lived perennial with a bushy habit.
It will typically grow to around 2m in height and 1-2m in spread.
It has semi-evergreen foliage, and flowers in pink to deep pink shades, with darker pink veining appearing closer towards the throat.
The blooms appear all summer and are around 4cm across.
This is not a native but has naturalised in some coastal areas of the UK.
2) M. x clementii ‘Barnsley Baby’
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Mallow ‘Barnsley Baby’
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
- FLOWERS: Pink
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
This Malva is a particularly popular variety, which can work equally well in pots or in the ground.
It is more compact than many other lavateras, growing to around 70cm tall, with a spread of up to 60cm.
The flowers are pale pink with darker pink veining and are borne throughout the summer.
3) M. x clementii ‘Bredon Springs’
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Mallow ‘Bredon Springs’
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- FLOWERS: Pink and purple
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
This tree mallow is a vigorous semi-evergreen shrub type lavatera which grows to around 2m tall.
It has greyish-green leaves and funnel-shaped flowers which are 5-7cm across and have a lovely pink hue.
The flowers bloom throughout the summer months.
This variety has been awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
4) M. x clementii ‘Burgundy Wine’
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Mallow ‘Burgundy Wine’
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- FLOWERS: Pink
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
This is another Malva with an Award of Garden Merit from the RHS.
It grows to around 2m and has deep pink flowers in the summer months borne above greyish green leaves.
The pink flowers are streaked with darker veins.
H5 hardy.
5) M. x clementii ‘Candy Floss’
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Mallow ‘Candy Floss’
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- FLOWERS: Pink
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
With a height and spread of around 1.5- 2.5m, this is another attractive Malva to consider.
It is also semi-evergreen and has grey-green leaves and pink flowers 5-7cm across are borne in summer.
However, the flowers of this cultivar are a lighter, pale pink.
This Malva holds the Award of Garden Merit from the RHS.
6) M. x clementii ‘Lavender Lady’
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Mallow ‘Lavender Lady’
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
- FLOWERS: Purple
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
A tall and rather striking tree mallow, this variety can grow up to around 1.8m tall.
The flowers, as the name suggests, are a pale pink verging to a lavender hue.
They are streaked with deeper purplish veins and, again, are borne throughout the summer.
H4 hardy.
7) M. x clementii ‘Mary Hope’
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Mallow ‘Mary Hope’
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
- FLOWERS: Pink and white
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
Growing to around 1-1.5m tall, this lavatera is another popular and award-winning option, holding the Award of Garden Merit from the RHS.
It has white and pale pink flowers with darker pink veining, which are saucer-shaped and borne in profusion through the summer months.
8) M. x clementii ‘Rosea’
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Mallow ‘Rosea’
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- FLOWERS: Pink
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
Though often short-lived, this lavatera is enchanting, with its light pink flowers 8cm across that bloom in summer.
It is a fairly vigorous option, which can grow to between 1.5-2.5m in height and spread within 2-5 years.
It is H5 hardy and holds the Award of Garden Merit from the RHS.
9) L. maritima
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Mallow
- HARDINESS RATING: H3
- FLOWERS: Pink and purple
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer / Autumn
Lavatera maritima is another type of tree mallow to consider.
It grows to between 1-1.5m in height, with a spread of up to 1m or so.
The flowers are beautiful pink or lilac shades, around 7cm across, with purple veining and deeper purple colouration towards the centre.
However, note that this is a slightly less hardy option with a hardiness rating of H3 and is particularly suited to coastal areas without hard frost where it withstands salty sea breezes.
10) M. thuringiaca
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Lavatera
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- FLOWERS: Pink and purple
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer / Autumn
Tree lavatera, as it is sometimes also called, is a large upright herbaceous perennial.
It has downy, grey-green foliage and funnel-shaped pinkish-purple flowers up to 8cm across that appear in the summer months.
It can grow to around 1.8m in height and is H5 hardy.
11) M. trimestris ‘Beauty Series’
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Mallow Beauty Series
- HARDINESS RATING: H3
- FLOWERS: Pink and white
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
Among the many M. trimestris that you may consider, those of the ‘Beauty Series’ stand out.
This series offers a range of compact, upright options around 60cm tall, great for containers as well as growing in the ground.
There is a range of options colour-wise within this range, with flowers in shades of pink and white, often with darker veining.
H3 hardy and holds the Award of Garden Merit from the RHS
12) M. trimestris ‘Mont Blanc’
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Mallow ‘Mont Blanc’
- HARDINESS RATING: H3
- FLOWERS: White
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer / Autumn
These large and bushy plants are superb lavatera, highly regarded for their huge, white, trumpet-shaped blooms that are beloved by bees.
These plants tend to grow to around 1m tall, with a spread of around 45cm.
They work well in the middle of a south or west-facing sheltered border and their pure white flowers really stand out and look wonderful in many garden schemes.
13) M. trimestris ‘Silver Cup’
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Mallow ‘Silver Cup’
- HARDINESS RATING: H3
- FLOWERS: Pink
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
Another attractive tree mallow, L. trimestris ‘Silver Cup’ has light pink flowers deeply veined with reddish-purple, a hue which becomes more prominent towards the centre of the blooms.
These flowers are 7-10cm across, and the plants grow to around 70cm tall.
This cultivar has an RHS AGM and is H3 hardy.
14) M. trimestris ‘Twins Hot Pink’
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Mallow ‘Twins Hot Pink’
- HARDINESS RATING: H3
- FLOWERS: Pink
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
This compact Malva cultivar has a height of around 50cm with a similar spread.
It has pretty hot pink flowers with a satin sheen and has been specially bred for good disease resistance.
It works just as well in containers as it does in the ground at the front of beds or borders.
These are just some of the excellent Malvas on offer that you could consider choosing to grow in your garden.
