Desert globemallow

Sun

Full sun; flowering and growth become looser in shade.

Water

Low once established. Water young plants regularly while roots establish, then water deeply but infrequently during prolonged dry weather.

Soil

Lean, sharply drained sandy, gravelly or rocky soil; tolerates alkaline soil. Avoid wet clay and rich, moisture-retentive beds.

Height

2-4 ft (0.6-1.2 m)

Spread

2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m)

Flowers

Mainly spring into summer, with repeat flowering after rain or occasional watering into autumn in mild climates. Usually apricot-orange; wild populations also include pink, lavender and white forms.

Foliage

Grey-green, shallowly lobed leaves covered in fine, star-shaped hairs. Usually evergreen or semi-evergreen in mild climates, but may lose leaves during hard frost or severe drought.

Growth

Fast in warm weather.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1 ft (0.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   2 ft (0.61 m)

3. After 2 years

   3 ft (0.9 m)

   full size

About 2 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the US

Growth rate

Fast

• Let the soil dry between waterings; do not put established plants on a lawn-watering schedule.
• Plant in a raised gravel bed or on a slope where winter drainage is poor.
• Avoid routine feeding; rich soil and excess nitrogen encourage floppy growth.
• Use a light gravel mulch and keep the crown clear of damp organic mulch.
• Wear gloves and avoid rubbing your eyes after handling the hairy stems and leaves.

Pruning. In early spring, after the worst frosts, remove dead stems and shorten surviving growth by about one-third to encourage branching. Lightly trim spent flower stems after the main flush, but avoid cutting hard into bare old wood.

Early spring

Remove winter-damaged stems and lightly reshape established plants.

Spring

Plant after severe frost risk has passed, choosing full sun and sharp drainage.

Late spring

Check newly planted specimens and water deeply when their root zone dries.

Summer

Trim spent flower stems if desired; give established plants occasional deep watering only during extended drought.

Autumn

Collect ripe, dry seed capsules if you want more plants, or remove unwanted seedlings.

Winter

Keep irrigation off during wet weather and make sure water does not collect around the crown.

• Plant in gravel gardens among rocks, with space for its loose, branching shape.
• Combine with agaves and yuccas to contrast soft foliage and orange flowers with rigid leaves.
• Repeat through dry borders with penstemons and drought-tolerant grasses for a long informal display.
• Use in sunny native-bee gardens away from heavily irrigated planting.

Garden styles it suits: Desert modern, Desert / xeriscape, Dry gravel garden, Southwestern, Pollinator garden and California native.

Plant it with: Parry's agave, Banana yucca, Desert marigold, Firecracker penstemon, Blackfoot daisy and Blue grama.

Wildlife: Flowers supply pollen and nectar to bees, including specialist globemallow bees. Plants may also host caterpillars of painted lady butterflies.

• Root or crown rot in wet soil: improve drainage, keep the crown clear and reduce watering; replace badly rotted plants.
• Rust, seen as orange-brown pustules on leaves: remove badly affected foliage, improve airflow and avoid overhead watering.
• Aphids on soft shoots: rinse off with water and allow ladybirds and other predators to control small colonies.
• Leggy or floppy growth: provide full sun, stop feeding and excess watering, and shorten stems lightly in spring.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses, although species-specific safety information is limited. Fine hairs on the leaves and stems can irritate skin and eyes; it is not recommended as a food plant.

• Narrowleaf globemallow (Sphaeralcea angustifolia)

  Usually has much narrower, lance-shaped leaves rather than the broader, shallowly lobed leaves typical of desert globemallow; flower colour alone is not a reliable distinction.

• Munro's globemallow (Sphaeralcea munroana)

  Usually has more distinctly cut, angular leaf lobes. The species overlap in appearance, so reliable identification may require mature fruit and a regional botanical key.

Sphaeralcea combines Greek words for sphere and mallow, referring to the rounded fruit, while ambigua means ambiguous or uncertain.

Propagation. Grow from seed sown in spring; lightly scarifying the hard seed coat can improve germination, which may otherwise be uneven. Take softwood cuttings in late spring or early summer to preserve a particular flower colour. Seedlings may appear nearby in open gravel.

Accepted botanical name

Sphaeralcea ambigua

In the US and Canada

Native in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Arizona, California, Mexico Northwest, Nevada and Utah.

Measured

Soil pH 7.5 to 8.5. Average height 117 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.