Malacothamnus fremontii

Common Name:
Fremont's bush mallow
Plant Type:
Evergreen shrub
Family:
Malvaceae (The Mallow Family)
Geographic Origin:
California
California Native?:
Yes

Plant Size:
6 feet
Landscape/Garden Uses:
naturalizing
Flowering Season:
Spring and summer

Flower Color:
Light pink
Exposure:
Full sun
Soils:
Well-drained soil

Suggested Irrigation:
Moderate to occasional watering
Estimated Hardiness:
Hardy to 10 degrees F. or less

This tough, adaptable plant is especially useful on banks and other exposed sites. Bushy and upright-oval in form, each main shoot grows 4-6 feet high and 3-4 feet broad. Before long, new shoots appear from the ground, and eventually a broad colony is formed. The individual branches are rather slender and arching, with grey-felted 2-3 inch leaves. From July to October it carries loose wands of beautiful cupped, upfacing, silvery pink flowers, each about an inch and a half broad, at the branch tips. Hardy to 10 degrees F. or less, resprouting easily after damage to the tops.