Muskmallow

The musky mallow is an ephemeral woody perennial. It has leaves of 5 to 10 cm whose musky odor has given its name to the plant. The upper leaves are pennatized - meaning finely cut. The flowers appear from June to October, in the shape of a flattened cup, with five petals, white or very pale pink.

Outside: You can sow directly in place from March to June in lines or by broadcasting, in well-drained soil. If you sow in pots, prepare a mixture of sand and compost. In any case, the chances of success of your seedlings are better in a warm soil, so wait for a few days of good weather. After sowing, water gently every day until your plants have grown some leaves. Inside: Sow the mallow under shelter, with 3 to 5 seeds one hole in each pot, from March to May. Use a mixture made of sand and compost. Cover the seeds with a shallow layer of soil, and tamp it with your hands. Water with a sprayer for the first few days.

For seedlings grown in open soil, thin to 15 or 20 cm when the plants have 3 or 4 leaves.

Repeat mallow seedlings in March to May or September to October, in the ground or in pots. Plant mallow in ordinary soil, well drained, in semi-shade. It is resistant to drought and withstands poor soils, and even limestone. I n pots, prefer a sunny spot, and a substrate composed of potting soil and garden soil. In open soil, dig a hole 3 times the size of the root ball. Mix a handful of compost with the original soil - if your soil is heavy add coarse sand, or even gravel for better drainage. Soak the root ball for 3 minutes. Install the plant and refill. For a beautiful mass effect, install at least 3 plants spaced 30 to 40 cm apart. Place very large varieties preferably in the background. In pots, drain with clay balls or gravel and add a mixture of potting soil and garden soil.

Plant the mallow purchased in a bucket from March to May or from September to October, in open soil or in pots. Plant mallow in ordinary soil, well drained, in semi-shade. It is resistant to drought and withstands poor soils, and even limestone. In pots, prefer a sunny spot, and a substrate composed of potting soil and garden soil. In open soil, dig a hole 3 times the size of the root ball. Mix a handful of compost with the original soil - if your soil is heavy add coarse sand, or even gravel for better drainage. Soak the root ball for 3 minutes. Install the plant and refill. For a beautiful mass effect, install at least 3 plants spaced 30 to 40 cm apart. Place very large varieties preferably in the background. In pots, drain with clay balls or gravel and add a mixture of potting soil and garden soil.

Water in the first weeks, and in case of very hot weather. Keep the seedling substrate a bit moist. After planting, let the soil dry between two waterings until growth begins, and then water again. Once properly grown, you will only need to water your plants in dry and windy weather or in case of prolonged drought.

When the plants are 30 cm tall, pinch them to help them branch - cut the main stem between the thumb and forefinger, above two leaves.

The pruning is not essential, but can be done in the middle of spring to adjust plant symmetry.

Leave the faded bunch in winter, the seeds will feed the birds but cut the clump at ground level in March.

From June to October, in the morning, harvest the leaves and the flowers, to cook them! Be careful: pick only those that are not attacked by rust. Take the opportunity to cut some stems to put in vase: the mauve forms pretty bouquets. In cooking and for health: use the flowers as quickly as possible. The foliage, washed and rolled in a damp cloth can keep 3 days in the refrigerator. For health: for use in winter, dry the stems, head down, in a dark, dry and ventilated room. For the decoration: If you want to keep your bouquet as long as possible, put the branches in a bucket of water as soon as you pick it, to soak the stems completely. Store this bucket in a dark, cool room. A few hours later, compose your bouquet, after having cut the stems by a few centimeters and removed all the leaves likely to soak in the water of the vase.

Mallow is multiplied by sowing or tuft division. Divide the clumps when they are 2 to 3 years old, in March or October. Take out the tuft with the fork spade, and separate the roots. Replant the chips immediately. On the other hand, mallow spontaneously reseeds, so you can pick spontaneous seedlings in May or June. Transplant them into a bucket or replant them directly in the open soil if they are strong enough. You can also harvest the seeds when they are ripe, in September or October on a dry weather day. Keep them in an opaque envelope until planting.

Like all other species of the Malvaceae family, the mallow may be prone to rust. To avoid this disease, prune the stems low at the end of June. Rust is easy to spot and recognize. The upper surface of some leaves has reddish or yellowish rings, and when turning the leaf, you discover, small powdery pustules whose color varies from beige to brown, to yellow and orange on its underside. To fight against rust, opt for a decoction of horsetail growing in colonies, in meadows or forest edges, preferably in cool, damp, acidic places. Rich in silica, horsetail strengthens the resistance of plants to fungal diseases: black spots of roses, peach blister, mildew, and, of course, rust ... Act almost as if you were making a decoction for you, with medicinal plants.