Lavatera thuringiaca Bredon Springs - Tree Mallow

Lavatera thuringiaca 'Bredon Springs' is perhaps the most spectacular of the shrubby lavateras. It quickly forms a lush bush, as wide as it is tall, on which numerous flowers of a deep pink-mauve colour appear at a frenetic pace, visible from afar and lasting for almost 4 months. Its beautiful green and velvety foliage may persist in winter depending on the region. It is a generous plant, not very demanding, and very easy to grow in any well-drained soil.

Lavateras belong to the large family of Malvaceae, they are cousins of mallow and hollyhocks. It is a genus that includes many species, some more woody than others and can be annuals, biennials or perennials. They originate from various temperate regions around the globe but are mainly found in Mediterranean climates. Shrubby lavateras are generally quite short-lived, only living for 3 or 4 years, sometimes longer when regularly pruned, but they multiply easily when propagated by cuttings.

'Bredon Springs' is a shrubby hybrid that has been awarded in England by the RHS for its exceptional qualities. The very vigorous plant has a bushy and well-branched habit from the base, very dense, as wide as it is tall. In the space of two years, it reaches 1.5m (5ft) to 1.75m (6ft) in all directions, up to 2m (7ft) depending on whether it is pruned more or less severely at the beginning of spring. This abundant and generous shrub offers flowers with a diameter of 5cm (2in), single cups composed of petals of a slightly mauve pink colour, veined with purplish pink. These flowers are short-lived but continually renew from June-July to August-September. The foliage is composed of rounded palmately lobed leaves, 3 to 5cm (1 to 2in) in diameter, slightly velvety, in a fairly dark green shade. This lavatera is hardy down to -12°C/-15°C (5°F) in healthy and well-drained soil. Young plants tolerate frost better than adult specimens.

The 'Bredon Springs' lavatera charms with its color, generosity, and beautiful presence, comparable to that of a shrub. It will be beautiful in a flowering hedge or integrated into a bed of summer-flowering shrubs (Buddleias, Perovskia, Indian lilacs). It also goes very well with white, pink, or mauve shrub roses and the delicate flowers of white or red gauras. It is a plant for full sun that will tolerate partial shade in hot climates and will be more perennial in well-drained soil. Its pairing with Sages, or even with its annual cousins the Malopes (Malope 'Glacier Fruits Mixed') and the Mallow is full of romance.