Today’s rain showers have brought some welcome moisture!

Neither of the large Lavatera plants, also known as mallows, along the gravel stairway on the north side of Coppertop survived to bloom again for us, so we’ve dug both out in the last couple of months.  These had been planted probably a decade ago in half barrels, and the soil required the addition of our rich compost. One of the barrels now holds a young lacecap hydrangea which has flourished.

We took our time selecting the other replacement plant. At a trip to a nursery a couple of weeks ago we selected three dwarf hollyhocks in a vibrant red – Alcea rosea ‘Spring Celebrities Crimson’. I am loving the frilly, deep red blooms that require no staking.

These plants are purported to be highly resistant to rust and mildew which can plague hollyhocks.

Mallows have always reminded me of hollyhocks! Both do belong to the Malvaceae family. So as it turns out, we ending up putting in new plants that are sometimes confused with the previous plants because they’re similar in growth and bloom pattern.