common mallow
Malva sylvestris
RHS Plants for Pollinators
USDA zones4 to 8
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles moderate to moist soil
Size2 to 4 feet tall2 to 3 feet wide
- Bloom season
- Summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Rose-purpl
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Common mallow (Malva sylvestris) is a perennial for pollinator gardens and low maintenance beds. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full or part sun and average to moist soil of most types. It grows 24 to 48 inches tall and spreads 24 to 36 inches. Rose-purple flowers open in summer and again in autumn, and bees visit them.
Pairs well with Sweet William, Plenum Violaceum hardy geranium, Dorothy Perkins rose, and Tall fescue.
Native range
Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, Asia, and 16 more places. See all 20
Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, Asia, Africa, Altay, Azores, Baleares, Corse, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Kirgizstan, Kriti, Krym, Madeira, NW. Balkan Pen., Sardegna, Sicilia, Tadzhikistan, and Türkiye.