Malope

An old-fashioned mallow-family annual bearing satin, chalice-shaped blooms in glowing magenta-pink, each with a vivid green star at the center where the petals part to reveal the calyx. A beloved classic of German cottage gardens, where it is known as Bechermalve, malope is undemanding, fast-growing, and flowers about three months after sowing from midsummer into fall. It performs best when direct sown where it is to flower, because the young plants resent transplanting. Stems of 90 to 120 cm make long-lasting cut flowers, and the decorative green lantern-like seedpods that follow the blooms add interest to the autumn border. Give it full sun, average well-drained soil, and light support in windy or very fertile sites.

Direct sowing is strongly recommended, as malope seedlings dislike root disturbance. Sow from two to three weeks before the last frost through late spring, barely covering the seed with about five millimeters of fine soil, and keep the bed moist until germination, which takes ten days to three weeks at soil temperatures of 10 to 21 degrees Celsius. Germination can be erratic; chilling the seed packet in the refrigerator for three weeks before sowing is reported to even it out. For an earlier start, sow indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost in individual pots at 18 to 21 degrees Celsius, then plant out the whole pot with minimal disturbance once seedlings have two or three true leaves and are hardened off. Succession sow every two to three weeks until early summer for bloom right up to frost.

The Season Plate

Your Malope Year

Composed for Zone 7 · typical seasons · frost passes Apr 2, returns Nov 1

Plant Malope Feb – May, pick Jul – Sep. Check the planting methods below and set your climate to personalize these windows.

Planting windows

Feb – May

Start seeds indoors · Feb – Mar

Sow seeds outdoors · Mar – May

Outdoor planting

Mar – May

follow the method shown for each window

First picking

Jul – Sep

Harvest timing depends on when seedlings move to their final growing position. Estimate from that planting date once it is known.

Composed for —ColdTemperateMildWarmNorthSouthUse my locationUsed once to set your season · only the zone is kept

Week-by-week Malope reminders watering, feeding and pruning, timed to your dates

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Frost alerts for your garden a warning before a cold night costs you the crop

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Follow-up planting dates plan the next planting for the season

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Choose a sunny, open position with average, well-drained soil. Malope actually dislikes rich, freshly manured ground, which pushes soft leafy growth at the expense of flowers and makes the tall stems prone to flopping. Direct sow from two to three weeks before the last expected frost through late spring, scattering the seed thinly and covering with barely five millimeters of fine soil, since the seeds germinate best in cool conditions with some light. Germination is slow and sometimes erratic, taking ten days to three weeks, so mark the rows and be patient.

Thin the seedlings in stages to a final spacing of about 45 cm, keeping the strongest young plants. Each plant develops a stout, upright stem of 90 to 120 cm with lobed leaves and buds wrapped in decorative green bracts. In exposed gardens or on fertile soil, push in a pea stick or short cane early, before the plants need it, and tie stems loosely as they rise. Pinching the growing tip when plants reach about 30 cm produces bushier plants with more, slightly smaller blooms; unpinched plants carry fewer but larger flowers.

During summer, water deeply but infrequently, letting the top few centimeters of soil dry between waterings, and always water at the base to keep foliage dry. Deadhead spent blooms or cut flowering stems regularly; malope is cut-and-come-again and responds with fresh side shoots well into autumn. Watch the lower leaves for the orange pustules of mallow rust and remove them promptly. After the first hard frost blackens the plants, pull them up and compost only healthy, rust-free material.

Malope pairs naturally with cosmos, zinnia, and sunflower, the classic summer-annual companions that share its love of full sun, lean-to-average soil, and moderate water. Together they form a long-season pollinator border: malope's open chalices are worked by bees and butterflies from midsummer on. Tuck it between vegetable rows to draw pollinators to squash, cucumbers, and beans, or sow it behind low edging plants so its tall stems rise above them. Keep it away from fennel, which is widely reported to inhibit the growth of neighboring plants.

The Society Table

Cosmos belongs beside it. Fennel doesn't.

Old growers' knowledge, checked against Malope's real companion table below — test any plant you're growing.

Grows well in the company of · 3

CosmosZinniaSunflower

Keep apart · 1

Fennel

Plant Malope with good neighboursThe planner flags conflicts before they're in the ground

Related growing guides

Flowers

Cosmos

A good companion for Malope

Flowers

Zinnia

A good companion for Malope

Flowers

Sunflower

A good companion for Malope

Flowers

Marigold

View growing guide

Malope thrives in average, well-drained loamy soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.5 and tolerates lean or sandy ground better than most annuals. Avoid freshly manured or heavily fertilized beds, which cause lush foliage, weak stems, and few flowers. If your soil is very poor, work in a thin layer of compost before sowing and give one light feed of balanced liquid fertilizer when buds first appear; otherwise no feeding is needed. A thin mulch of compost or fine bark conserves moisture and keeps the root zone cool, but keep it a few centimeters away from the stems of young seedlings to discourage slugs.

Ideal Temperature

Hardiness Zone Compatibility

Cut malope stems for the vase when the outer petals of the first flower on the stem have just opened and the remaining buds are well colored. Harvest in the cool of early morning, make a clean diagonal cut, strip any leaves that would sit below the waterline, and place stems immediately in deep, clean water. Regular cutting doubles as deadheading and keeps new flowering shoots coming. For seed saving, leave a few stems uncut so the papery green lanterns can ripen and dry on the plant, then shell out the small round seeds on a dry day.

Mallow Rust

Disease

Raised orange-brown pustules on leaf undersides with corresponding yellow spots on the upper surface, starting on the oldest, lowest leaves. Severe infections cause leaves to wither and drop and can disfigure stems and buds.

Prevention Space plants generously for air circulation and water at the base so foliage stays dry. Remove old mallow-family plant debris (hollyhocks, lavatera) that can harbor the fungus over winter, and avoid sowing malope in the same spot every year.

Fix: Pick off and discard infected leaves as soon as pustules appear; do not compost them. Remove severely infected plants entirely. There is no reliable cure once rust is established, so early removal and good airflow are the real defense.

Aphids

Pest

Clusters of small soft-bodied insects on growing tips, buds, and leaf undersides. Sticky honeydew on foliage, sometimes followed by black sooty mold, and curled or distorted young growth.

Prevention Encourage ladybugs, lacewings, and hoverflies by interplanting with cosmos and other umbel or daisy-type flowers. Avoid heavy nitrogen feeding, which produces the soft growth aphids prefer.

Fix: Dislodge colonies with a strong jet of water. Apply insecticidal soap or neem oil for persistent infestations, spraying in the evening to spare pollinators visiting the open blooms.

Powdery Mildew

Disease

White or gray powdery patches on leaves and stems, usually beginning on shaded lower foliage late in the season. Leaves may yellow, curl, and drop early in heavy cases.

Prevention Give plants full sun and honest spacing of 45 cm so air moves freely through the planting. Water at the base in the morning rather than overhead in the evening.

Fix: Remove badly affected leaves. Spray with a baking soda solution (one tablespoon per gallon of water with a few drops of dish soap) or neem oil weekly until conditions improve.

Spider Mites

Pest

Fine stippling or bronzing on leaves, faint webbing on the undersides, and a generally dusty, faded look during hot, dry spells. Leaves may dry and fall prematurely.

Prevention Keep plants evenly watered during heat waves, since drought-stressed plants are far more susceptible. A humid, healthy border with diverse planting rarely suffers serious outbreaks.

Fix: Hose the undersides of leaves with water to knock mites back. Repeat every few days, and apply insecticidal soap if populations persist. Predatory mites and lacewings provide good natural control.

Slugs and Snails

Pest

Irregular holes in young leaves, seedlings grazed down to stubs overnight, and telltale silvery slime trails around the seedbed in spring.

Prevention Sow into a clean, weed-free bed and avoid thick mulch right against young seedlings. Water in the morning so the soil surface is drier by nightfall when slugs are active.

Fix: Hand-pick at dusk, set out beer traps, or apply iron phosphate slug bait around the sowing rows. Once plants pass 15 cm tall they are rarely troubled again.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

Mallow rust is the most serious issue, showing as orange pustules on leaf undersides in damp or crowded conditions; remove infected leaves early and never replant malope or hollyhocks in the same spot the following year. Flopping stems result from rich soil, overcrowding, shade, or wind exposure without support. Poor or patchy germination usually means the seed was sown too deep or into cold, waterlogged soil. Too much nitrogen produces tall, leafy plants with few blooms. In hot, dry spells, watch for spider mite stippling on the foliage.

Growing Tips

1. Direct sow where the plants are to flower. Malope builds a taproot quickly and sulks after transplanting; if you must start indoors, use individual pots and plant the whole root ball without teasing it apart.
2. Cover the seed with no more than 5 mm of fine soil. Malope seed germinates best with some light, and the number one cause of failure is sowing too deep.
3. Expect uneven germination over ten days to three weeks, and do not resow in panic. For old or stubborn seed, chill the packet in the refrigerator for three weeks before sowing to even out emergence.
4. Thin honestly to 45 cm between plants. Crowded malope grows leggy, flowers poorly, and gives mallow rust and powdery mildew exactly the still, damp conditions they need.
5. Keep the soil lean. Rich, freshly manured ground gives you tall, soft, leafy plants with few chalices and stems that flop at the first summer storm.
6. Stake tall cultivars such as 'Vulcan' early with a pea stick or short cane; once a 90 cm stem loaded with wet flowers kinks in the wind, it never straightens again.
7. Treat malope as cut-and-come-again: every stem you cut for the vase or every spent bloom you snip back to a leaf node is repaid with fresh flowering side shoots.
8. Sow a short row every two to three weeks until early summer. Later sowings bridge the gap when the earliest plants begin to tire in late summer.
9. Scout the undersides of the lowest leaves for orange rust pustules from midsummer on, remove them immediately, and never compost rusted foliage or replant mallow relatives in that spot the following year.