Mouth-watering Mallows

Discover the mouth-watering Mallow's - a family of famous flowering plants backed by some remarkably useful individuals.

To the diverse and unassuming Mallow (Malvaceae) family, we owe durian fruits, baobab (bottle) trees, marsh mallows, cotton and hemp; not forgetting Hawaiian Hibiscus and cottage garden hollyhocks.

Made up of more than 200 genera (types), with close to 4,200 species (sub-groups); generations of Mallows have supported the backbone of world economy. But it's their hardy, colourful cousins that steal British hearts every time they bloom.

Common or garden, herbaceous hollyhocks (Alcea), Althea, Anisodontea, Malva and Sidalcea share familiar furled, crepe paper petals, with shrubby Lavatera - but it's the exotic-looking hardy Hibiscus that out-shines all other late-summer flowering shrubs, with ease.

Large trumpet-shaped flowers open in succession from July to October, bringing a touch of the tropics to any garden. Limited to just two deciduous species and their many cultivars, the main differences between hardy Hibiscus syriacus (from Eastern Asia) and H. sinosyriacus (from Western China), are that the former has more spreading growth and the latter, more upright; with fractionally broader leaves and slightly larger flowers.

Spoilt for choice

Given a favourable position in full sun, with rich, moist, free-draining soil, H. syriacus hybrids can reach 2-3m (6-10ft), expanding to 1.2-2m (4-6ft) when mature. Responding well to pruning by producing extra-large flowers; on the continent they are boldly trimmed into standards, making formal ‘lollypop' shapes.

‘Blue Bird' - clear lavender-blue with maroon veins remains one of our favourites, matched only by ‘Hamabo' from Japan, with pale pink, crimson centred flowers. ‘Red Heart' is crisp white with a neat crimson central blotch, while ‘Woodbridge' - largest of the singles, makes the most of its creamy white stamens, with light crimson petals accentuated by maroon veins.

Recent exciting introductions bred by Dr Roderick Woods, an amateur plant breeder from Cambridge, offer the hopeful solution to rain-spoilt double blooms. ‘Lavender Chiffon' and ‘White Chiffon' each have a twirl of smaller petals inside the outer ones - a distinct characteristic of this highly-successful series. Shedding rain and remaining largely undamaged, even in the wettest summers, enormous 10-12cm flowers are held aloft by typically strong ‘Chiffon' growth; an attribute they share with the latest ground-breaking addition, ‘Blue Chiffon' - intense blue with a deep purple centre, believed to be the first ‘blue' of this type.

More than just big flowers

Hibiscus blooms are relatively short lived, but with each plant producing so many stems and each carrying many more buds, blooming is usually spread over several weeks. Still in the limelight once flowering is done, their apple-green foliage remains attractive, turning golden yellow with the cold nights of autumn.

Because of their instant appeal, hardy Hibiscus are often bought in full-flower. Container grown, they may be planted at any time of the year, but remember to water thoroughly during the summer for the first two years, helping the plants become established.

As one of the last garden shrubs to come into leaf in the spring, position Hibiscus towards the back of the border - accompanied by silver-leaved Buddleja fallowiana var. alba, Elaeagnus ‘Quicksilver' or Pyrus salicifolia ‘Pendula', for superb plant combinations. Don't be alarmed by their paler coloured early year foliage, it quickly darkens with age, but brighten the ground beneath the shrubs with carpets of spring bulbs, herbaceous and alpines as showy distractions.

As long-term choices for any sunny, sheltered garden, hardy hibiscus can provide vital structure, colour and framework, but with so many having qualities that make them simply outstanding, just as other Mallow's, it's hard to find a favourite.