Malva sylvestris

‘Zebrina’

ZEBRA HOLLYHOCK MALLOW

No WA

Malva sylvestris ‘Zebrina’
ZEBRA HOLLYHOCK MALLOW

Malva sylvestris ‘Zebrina’ looks like a dainty and delicate plant, with eye-catching striped flowers and attractive foliage.
Not permitted for entry to WA.

Dainty & delicate looks – But tough as old boots

But it is actually as tough and hardy as old boots.
So it has always been a popular, easy to grow, low maintenance, old favourite cottage perennial. Because of its tough constitution, useful edible flowers and foliage, and companion plant qualities.

Soft lavender with striking stripes of raspberry 

Blooms are soft lavender-pink singles – like silken Hollyhocks – but with prominent raspberry-purple veins.
So the striped blooms are certainly very striking – hence the common name of Zebra Hollyhock Mallow.
And they are stacked upon 80cm. tall flower spires (though it can grow to over a metre in bloom if given just a little attention).
So many people mistake it for some sort of unusual striped Hollyhock.

Like unusual striped Hollyhocks – But a smaller & neater

Indeed the whole plant does look and behave like a neater, better behaved Hollyhock.
But Malva sylvestris ‘Zebrina’ is equally hardy, tough, and easy to grow, as any of the taller Hollyhocks.
And equally spectacular in bloom as any Hollyhock – with those amazing stiped flowers.
But much better suited to smaller gardens, without the flopping over.

Self supporting & not prone to blowing over

So this is the fake Hollyhock everyone can have, even in windy and exposed sites.
The flower spires do not usually need staking, unless they are over-fed.
Malva sylvestris ‘Zebrina’ performs much better on a lean diet.

Scented blossoms through summer & autumn

The blooms also have a gentle honey-like fragrance, unlike non-scented Hollyhocks.
With the sweet blooms coming all through summer and well into autumn.

Cut spires for floristry

Cut stems of Malva sylvestris ‘Zebrina’ are excellent for vases – they last well in a vase, and are certainly very eye-catching with those striped blooms.

Edible flowers & foliage

Malva sylvestris ‘Zebrina’ is also a boon for cooks.
Because the both the flowers and foliage are edible.

Use as a savoury vegetable

Toss tender young leaves into salads, and cook older leaves like Spinach (delicious with pine nuts & melted butter), cook with tomatoes and onions, dress pasta, or use them in soups and casseroles.
Malva sylvestris is traditionally often used in Italian and Greek country cuisine as a thickener for soups.

Or in herbal teas & drinks

While the flowers are used to make herbal teas, traditionally believed to have anti-inflammatory benefits.
Or the leaves used to make anti-inflammatory poultices.
The seeds are also eaten raw as a healthy snack.
And the flowers and foliage have long been used to distill liquors.
In some regions around the Mediterranean the tea or liquor is also regarded as an aphrodisiac.

For dye & papermaking

While the foliage and flowers are traditional dye plants and used for paper-making.
This is the plant that just keeps on being useful.

Nectar feast for bees & pollinators 

The nectar rich striped blooms also drag the useful pollinators into your garden, and keep them there with such a long blooming season.

Traditional companion plant for fruit & vegetables

So it has always been a traditional companion plant for vegetable and fruit gardens.

Rabbit & deer resistant

Happily rabbits and deer do not like the taste of Zebra Musk Mallows, unlike we humans.

Care free & low maintenance

Malva sylvestris ‘Zebrina’ is blissfully carefree to grow and largely untroubled by any pests and diseases.
As long as it is planted in full sun, or just a little shade (it will become lanky in too much shade).

Highly tolerant of air pollution & poor soils

It is also highly tolerant of urban air pollution.
And copes well with soils of low fertility, of a wide pH range from acid to alkaline; sandy, gravel or loam; as long as the soil is well drained.

Frost hardy, drought resistant & water-wise

Malva sylvestris ‘Zebrina’ is undaunted by frosts and well able to tolerate temperatures down to -20°C.
Similarly it is able to tolerate summer heat, as it is native to areas of extreme temperature ranges, such as Spain, Italy and Greece.
It is a water-wise plant, needing very little additional watering to cope with dry seasons.

Low maintenance

While ‘Zebrina’ can survive quite well without any help from a brown-thumbed gardener.
She will repay a chop back of spent flower stems in late summer, by shooting back very quickly with another abundant crop of flower spires for autumn.
Cut back hard to ground in winter to make room for wonderful new growth in spring and another year of flower spires.

Hardy perennial

80-120cm. tall when in flower spires  x 60cm. wide clump of decorative foliage.

SEED SOWING ADVICE: QUICK & EASY

Suitable for beginners & gardening with kids

Seeds of Malva sylvestris ‘Zebrina’ can be sown in spring or autumn,
or at any time indoors when suitable temperatures can be provided (18-22°C).
OR
Scattered directly in the garden in autumn, late winter or early spring.

Sow Indoors for early plants: Sow the seeds in a punnet on the surface of good quality seed raising mix.
Now gently pat the seeds to the surface to ensure good contact.
Then lightly cover with mix or fine sandy grit.
You can now just keep them warm and moist and wait for nature to take its course, but there is a Tip to get things happening more quickly.

Tip for improving germination rates & speed: Seeds of Malva sylvestris ‘Zebrina’ have a much better germination rate and speed, if they are pre-conditioned with a period of warm-cold-warm.

So thoroughly moisten the sown punnet by standing it in a shallow water bath.
And allowing the moisture to percolate up to the surface of the mix from below.

Then place punnet in a warm, well-lit position (not in any direct sunlight) for 2-4 weeks.

Temperatures of 18-22°C approx. are best for this warm pre-conditioning period.
You can use a heat mat if you have one, but it is not essential.

A pretend winter

After the period of warm, wrap the moist, sown punnet in cling-wrap or a plastic bag and place in the fridge (not freezer) for 4-6 weeks.

The remove and return to the warm, well lit position (not in any direct sunlight) at 18-22°C.

Continue to keep consistently moist by misting regularly from a spray water-bottle.
Placing a plastic lid or bag over the sown punnet will also help to maintain consistent moisture.
Remove cover as soon as germination has commenced.

Seedlings emerge in approx. 14-21 days.

Scatter seeds directly in the garden:
Scatter in a full sun position in soil that drains well and rake in gently.|
Continue to keep consistently moist for germination.

Seed Count: 40 seeds per pack approx.
(We always aim to exceed the stated seed count and give a generous serve).

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