Malva moschata 'Alba' Seeds

Malva moschata f. alba, commonly known as White Musk Mallow, is a Hardy Perennial (H5). It is a reliable and elegant performer in UK gardens, known for its ability to thrive in a variety of conditions while maintaining a refined, airy habit.

The Foliage Factor: Unlike many other mallows with broad, heavy leaves, the Musk Mallow features delicate, lace-like foliage that creates a frothy, textured backdrop for its snowy blooms. This prevents the plant from looking "clunky" even when it reaches its full size.

Self-Sowing Elegance: While technically a short-lived perennial (usually productive for 3-4 years), it is a very polite self-seeder. It will gently drop its seeds to ensure a fresh generation of white flowers appears each spring, making it a permanent and effortless fixture in your borders.

White Musk Mallows are robust, unfussy plants that are exceptionally easy to raise from seed.

How to Sow:
Sow indoors from February to May or directly outdoors in May/June. If sowing indoors, surface sow the seeds onto moist seed compost and cover with a very light dusting of vermiculite. Keep at 15-20°C; germination usually takes 14-21 days. Transplant carefully to avoid disturbing the young roots.

Where to Plant:
They thrive in full sun or partial shade. While many "silver" or "white" cottage plants demand bone-dry soil, the Musk Mallow is much more adaptable and will grow happily in most average garden soils, including clay, provided it isn't waterlogged over the winter.

Ongoing Care:
The Mid-Summer Chop: To extend the flowering season and keep the plant looking fresh, you can shear the stems back by about a third after the first main flush of flowers in July. This encourages the plant to produce a fresh mound of foliage and a second wave of white blooms for late summer and autumn.

The pure white of the Mallow acts as a perfect "palate cleanser," calming down busy borders. Pair it with these available stars:

• 💜 Verbena Bonariensis: The Airy Mix. The tall, see-through purple wands of Verbena float beautifully above the bushy white mound of the Mallow. Both are top-tier pollinator plants that provide long-season interest.
• 🌑 Scabious 'Black Knight': Monochrome Magic. Pair the snowy white Mallow with the almost-black, pincushion heads of this Scabious for a sophisticated, high-contrast "designer" look in your border.

Sow in spring for a sophisticated, glowing white display from June through October.