Associate the Althaea

In a sunny flower bed

The alcathea thrives in full sun and offers a long summer flowering period. It will advantageously vegetate the back of a border and will be happy within a lush display alongside summer-flowering perennials. Preferably choose varieties with soft and fresh hues for a very natural look.

In the heart of summer, this beautiful hybrid bush pairs well with tall asters, gauras, gypsophiles, or Cleomes señorita ‘Blanca’ with its delicate flowering. Meanwhile, the tall flower spikes of Delphiniums, or its cousins the hollyhocks and mallows, will also add height.

You can also incorporate some climbing plants, such as a Clematis ‘Baby Star’, which will contribute to this very floral, countryside-inspired greenery.

It will benefit from being paired with more graphic flowerings: the perfectly round heads of allium ‘Globemaster’ or the more elongated ones of the tall Vervains from Buenos Aires.

Lighten this natural scene with some soft-habited grasses as a counterpoint, such as Pennisetums, Stipa pennata, and Miscanthus ‘Giganteus’.

Alcalthaea ‘Parkallee’ in gentle company: Delphiniums, Gaura, Alliums ‘Globemaster’, Cleome ‘Señorita Blanca’ and Aster laevis ‘Calliope’

In a bed of melliferous flowers

The unending flowering from summer to autumn of Alcalthaea suffrutescens attracts a multitude of butterflies, foraging insects, and pollinators that flock to the bed. You can take advantage of this asset to create a bed of melliferous flowers. To accompany it, simply choose other plants that are also appreciated for their nectar and, like it, enjoy full sun. In this type of scene, it will thrive alongside delphiniums, centauries, summer asters, and yarrow in soft shades (Achillea millefolium ‘Peachy Seduction’), Baptisia, and why not with Calluna vulgaris ‘Marleen’, a very melliferous summer heather used in beekeeping.

Alcalthaea suffructicosa ‘ParkAllee’ associated with melliferous flowers: Centaurea cyanus, Achillea millefolium ‘Peach Seduction’, Calluna vulgaris ‘Marleen’, and Baptisia ‘Brownies Point’

In a cottage garden

With its beautiful, tall and bushy silhouette, and its hibiscus flowers in nuanced and delicate shades, Alcalthaea easily fits into an English cottage garden. It contributes to this type of highly decorative, natural-looking border. For example, choose theAlcalthaea ‘Parkallee’ with its semi-double, ivory-white flowers with a fawn sheen. The lupins in salmon pink shades like ‘Salmon Star’, and the raspberry-pink flowering Mertonensis foxglove will form alongside it superb, highly floriferous clumps all summer long. Its beautiful pastel corollas pair well with Phlox paniculata ‘Jeana’ in soft shades, along with Astrantia major ‘Pink Pride’, which offers tender pink flowers from June to the end of September. Some white Agapanthus ‘Graphite White’ will add a touch of brightness, and the hybrid Gypsophila ‘White Festival’ will bring freshness and delicacy.

The Aster lateriflorus ‘Chloe’ with its white flowers and purple centre, and the Japanese Anemone ‘Robustissima’ with its pale pink flowering will accompany its bloom until the gates of autumn.

A successful association in an English garden: Alcalthaea ‘Parkallee’ with some Phlox paniculata ‘Jeana’, Astrantia ‘Pink Pride’, a clump of white Agapanthus, lupins ‘Salmon Star’, some Asters lateriflorus ‘Chloe’, and Mertonensis foxgloves

In a romantic garden

With its softly coloured flowers, Alcalthaea is the ideal candidate for charming weddings in a romantic garden. In a bed of summer-flowering bushes, it will accompany the flowering of Hibiscus or Althaea, a Lavatera thuringiaca ‘Bredon Springs’, abelia, buddleia, or simply the Seagull climbing rose, or ‘Bonica’ bush roses.

On the perennial side, surround it with Alcea rosea ‘Chater’s Double Salmon’, a truly romantic variety of hollyhock with its pom-pom flowers in salmon pink, Cleomes, and white astrantias (Astrantia major ‘White’). Add some clumps of white lupins (Lupinus ‘Noblemaiden’) and an airy perennial like Sanguisorba ‘Alba’.

For a beautifully refined effect, complete the scene with the spectacular Miscanthus sinensis ‘Silberfeder’, which blends well with its subtle colours and will bring softness to contrast with the upright habit of the alcalthaea.

In a romantic garden, an Alcalthaea alongside the ‘Bonica’ rose, Lavatera thuringiaca ‘Bredon Springs’, salmon hollyhocks, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Silberfeder’, Buddleia, and Sanguisorba ‘Alba’

In a flowering hedge

The tall silhouette of the Alcalthaea adds charm and verticality. This beautiful hybrid with an upright bush habit reaches heights of 1.5 to 3 m. It looks lovely in medium-sized flowering hedges where it allows its flowers to bloom throughout the summer.

Pair it with other flowering bushes such as buddleia (Buddleia davidii ‘Gulliver’) or abelia, Althaeas, Lavatera ‘Frederique’, and Spiraea (x) billiardii that bloom at the same time.

To stagger the flowering and maintain a beautiful flowering hedge for a large part of the year, you can integrate lilacs and Deutzia scabra ‘Codsall Pink’, which is interesting for its late spring to early summer flowering.

To keep the hedge dense throughout the seasons, consider pairing everything with evergreen foliage such as laurustinus Viburnum tinus ‘Lisarose’ or conifers.

Within a hedge for much softness, with a lilac, a Deutzia scabra ‘Codsall Pink’, a laurustinus, and an abelia