Friday 23 July 2010

This Week's Plant From The Garden - Sidalcea

This is Sidalcea Elsie Heugh - a rather grand name for a miniature hollyhock don't you think? It's also known as Prairie or Checker Mallow in the US.
Family: Malvaceae.
Position: Full sun or partial shade in any soil (including clay).
Flowers: July - August. Deadheading will encourage further flowering. Good for cut flowers.
Dimensions: 35cm high & plant 20cm apart.
Habit: Perennial. Dies back to nothing each winter.
Care: Leave to it's own devices. It's a well behaved little plant that will come up year after year.
Pruning: Cut back after flowering unless you are collecting seed. Otherwise nothing needs to be done - in fact I just ignore mine and it seems to like it just fine!
Propagation: By division or seed in spring. Or let it self seed and deal with it if it sprouts somewhere you'd rather it hadn't.
Distribution: Western & North America.

Key:
Bold/italics = expert opinion
Everything else = my experience of the plant
LxXx

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