Malope trifida Vulcan - Mallowwort seeds

Malope trifida Vulcan is an annual plant once widely used in gardens, as easy to grow as lavateras. Finer and prettier than the latter, the Vulcan variety is wonderful, with large campanulate flowers in a magenta-pink-red with almost metallic highlights that shimmer in the sun. Very useful for quickly filling space in flower beds, these bushy yet light plants are reliable and heat-resistant. The flowers can also be cut for bouquets. It is best to sow them directly in the ground in spring in deep, well-drained soil, in full sun.

Malope trifida is an herbaceous annual plant in the mallow family, closely related to mallows, lavateras, and roses. It is native to the western Mediterranean, particularly Spain. The Vulcan cultivar is a large, bushy, dense, branching plant reaching a minimum height of 90cm (35in). Throughout the summer, large pendulous flowers with a diameter of 5 to 7cm (2 to 3in) appear, with an almost metallic brilliance. The silky texture of the petals enhances their colour. The pink-red corollas are veined with carmine. The centre of the flower has a small green star. The flowers are short-lived, but the plants produce a profusion of buds that succeed each other throughout the summer. The flowers attract bees and are followed by seed heads which are decorative in dried bouquets. The upright and branching stems are covered with slightly glossy, rounded, and lobed, vibrant green leaves. Malopes develop from a taproot, which makes transplanting well-developed plants a bit delicate. That's why it is best to sow them directly in the ground.

The 'Vulcan' Malope brings strength to the garden in the height of summer under scorching sun. This annual easily withstands high temperatures and will be even more beautiful and floriferous under the scorching sun. Sow Malope in flower beds to quickly create large colourful patches. This plant is valuable for filling gaps in perennial and shrub borders, as well as in new gardens. You can grow it with wild mallows, coreopsis, campanulas, and gauras. Their colours are vibrant yet luminous in full sun allowing them to easily blend into any flower bed or garden. They are perfect paired with white, the acidic green and feathery foliage of love-in-a-mist or fennel, accompanied by grasses, or the sky-blue flowers of perennial flax or Linaria maroccana Licilia Azure.