Malva sylvestris 'Mauritiana'--How to collect seeds? I'll trade it

[ducks4you]

I bought a package of seeds for Malva
http://www.hardyplants.com/category/Malva.html
They came up like gangbusters and look like the pic on the right, the lavendar leaves with reddish-purple veins. I KNOW that I have a lot of seeds from these 3 ft. tall flowers. Has anyone here harvested seeds from Malva before? If you can tell me how to do so, I'll be happy to share. I didn't know that it was a perennial, but I'm happy where I planted it, since I was fighting weeds there before.

 

[cwhit590]

Congrats on the Malva! They reseed themselves very well. You have been warned... Much better than having the weeds tho! Good weeds. lol

With Malva / Hollyhock type plants, it's easy to collect the seeds. The seeds are usually ready when the papery husk is brown and dry and the seeds turn brown or black. There is the papery husk, then the seeds will be inside in a ring around the middle....they are usually wedged together like the wedges of an orange. When you apply pressure to the little ball of seeds, they should fall apart easily. Just make sure you collect the ones that are fully 'ripe'. If the seeds are still soft or greenish, I would wait for them to harden. Also, if the papery husks are empty, the seeds have already ripened and fallen to the ground...:/ Oh well...more babies for next year!

With my Malva (I have the plain pink one...I think it's Malva alcea), it sets seed and keeps on blooming, so you will often find flowers and ripe seed close to eachother from summer till fall. You probably will have quite a bit by this time of year.
I don't like where I have mine....it reseeds too well. Once my plants get established, they have a large taproot so it makes them difficult to pull up. I have to pull them while they are still small and keep on top of it to keep them under control and out of the other plants.

 

[ducks4you]

THANKS for the advice! I think I'll try the method where you cut the stem, cover it with a paper sack, then tie it hanging upside down. Guess I'll check the bags in about month to see if any seeds have fallen out. I'll write again when I have some seeds, and see if anybody wants some.
Hey, I gotta have SOMETHING to barter with!

 

[cwhit590]

No prob. The bag method sounds great too...and easier! I guess I've always just done it by hand cuz I usually don't need much seed....

 

[Greensage45]

Hi,

I think you have this one mis-identified. 'Mauritiana' is the Tree Malva, and has 3 inch bloom.

What you have is Malva 'Zebrina'. A smaller bloom, but equally nice to see in the garden. I like the way they light up a bed.

The seeds are quite predominant. Just let the blooms dry up, pick them, and then break them apart; this is all that is needed and you will have billions of these growing everywhere.

'Mauritiana'

'Zebrina'

Ron :bouquet

 

[ducks4you]

You're right! It is 'Zebrina', 3 ft tall stalks covered with flowers. I guess I'm using the Internet like some people use Wikipedia. Sorry! Still, I'm glad I grew 'em this year. They had the seeds at our local Farm & Fleet, and I kept coming back to them, so I had to buy a package. Even then, the seed package sat for a year in my seed drawer before I tried them.

 

[Greensage45]

I have the Zebrina here in my garden and I really like the way they fill in all the empty spaces. They are even one of my 'Winter bloomers', which can be a nice relief from the lack of flowers. Some folks may say they are bit invasive, but I really don't see them that way at all.

There is another Malva that I have tried to get going in my garden, I get great results with the plants, but then they reach about a foot tall and then fail. It just does not make sense to me that one day they are growing strong and the next day they are gone. I am referring to Lavatera or Rose Mallow. Have you tried that one?

Here are some pictures:

Not only Ducks4you, but anyone else, has anyone had any luck with Lavatera? I must be missing some key element.

I would love to see these in my garden

Ron

 

[injunjoe]

Wow I love those!

They look to be very easy to grow.



Joe :rose

 

[ducks4you]

This post just shows that I should check on the names of things. According to the picture below and website THIS is what I've been growing:

It's called, "Malva slyvestris" and it looks like long stalks where somebody has glued a bunch of short flowers that encircle it, at regular intervals up the stalk. I thought it was going to grow like a Zinnia, or a Cosmos and have one flower per stalk because the seed package had a picture of about 3 of the purple flowers. So, I was delighted but surprised when I grew flowers that looked like the picture above.

 

[cwhit590]

I have the Zebrina here in my garden and I really like the way they fill in all the empty spaces. They are even one of my 'Winter bloomers', which can be a nice relief from the lack of flowers. Some folks may say they are bit invasive, but I really don't see them that way at all.

There is another Malva that I have tried to get going in my garden, I get great results with the plants, but then they reach about a foot tall and then fail. It just does not make sense to me that one day they are growing strong and the next day they are gone. I am referring to Lavatera or Rose Mallow. Have you tried that one?

Here are some pictures:
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/rd/tips-for-growing-annual-lavatera0.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Lavatera_thuringiaca_Uppsala.jpg

Not only Ducks4you, but anyone else, has anyone had any luck with Lavatera? I must be missing some key element.

I would love to see these in my garden
http://www.backyardgardener.com/tmimages08/280/4/4241.jpg

Ron

Sorry Ron - I dunno anything about Lavatera...never tried it before. Wish I could help...

The malva I have is either Malva alcea (Hollyhock Mallow) or Malva moschata (Musk Mallow). Whichever species I have, it looks exactly like the 2nd pic you posted of the Lavatera, except the leaves are more finely divided. And...it's a very hardy perennial here. Have you tried one of those mallows before? Maybe they would give you the same effect as the Lavatera but on a plant that's not as fussy...?

Anyways, good luck w/ Project Lavatera.......