Seashore mallow is an adaptable and underused native plant that is still waiting for its chance to bask in the horticultural limelight. Plants will grow in a wide variety of soil types and thrive in gardens hundreds of miles inland from their native coastal habitat.

• Easy to grow
• Hummingbird favorite
• Its hairy stems and leaves are resistant to deer browsing

Details

• 4 to 6 ft. tall and wide
• Stems and leaves die to the ground in the fall and come up again in mid-spring
• Hardy in USDA hardiness zones 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10

Flowering period

In central North Carolina, seashore mallow comes into flower mid to late summer and blooms for up to six weeks.

How to grow

Grow seashore mallow in plenty of sun to promote compact growth and lots of flowers. Plants thrive in rich, moist soil, but are adaptable. Despite its preference for growing wild in shallow standing water, seashore mallow is surprisingly drought tolerant in soil that doesn't drain too quickly.

Care and maintenance

Old flowering stems can be cut back to the ground level in late winter or before growth emerges in spring. Watering during extended droughts will keep plants producing lots of flowers.

Where to plant

Plant seashore mallow in flower beds, edges of ponds and other water features.

When to plant

Anytime throughout the growing season. Keep plants watered until they get established.

When will my plant flower?

Plants purchased and planted in spring and early summer will flower in late summer if planted in a well-prepared site and kept watered.

Native habitat and range

Fresh to brackish tidal marshes from Delaware to southern Florida.

Source and origin

Plants are grown from seeds off stock plants at the nursery. The original plants were grown from seeds collected at the edge of a brackish marsh in Pender County, North Carolina.

Want to learn more? Here is an article we wrote on the merits of seashore mallow.