If you want to beautify your garden with a pleasantly smelling plant, the Musk Mallow 'Alba' is the best choice. It is easy to care for and easy to plant.
The musk mallow 'Alba', whose Latin / botanical name is Malva moschata 'Alba', is a traditional medicinal plant that knows how to enchant hobby gardeners with its pure white and pink flowers. Whether on insect or bee pastures, the attractive scented plant also comes into its own there. If you want to beautify your garden with this pleasantly smelling plant, you can find out a lot of interesting information from care to successfully overwintering the plant below.
Profile on Musk Mallow 'Alba'
The Musk Mallow 'Alba' is also known under the names Abelmosk, Musk Mallow and Indian Hibiscus Mallow. As the name suggests, it belongs to the mallow family. The herbaceous plant grows to a height of between 20 and 60 centimeters and each inflorescence has one to three flowers, which are said to have a musky smell. The flowers are either white or white-pink in color and about 2 to 2.5 centimeters in size. The plant, which flowers from around June to October, reproduces by insect or self-pollination.
| Musk mallow 'Alba' (Malva moschata 'Alba') | |
|---|---|
| Flower color: | white |
| Flowering: | June - September |
| Growth: | 50 - 60 cm |
| Growth: | 50 - 60 cm |
| Location: | Sun |
| Floor: | dry to fresh, well-drained, nutritious |
In Europe, the musk mallow 'Alba' is quite widespread. In the Allgäu Alps, it can even be found in the wild at altitudes of 1,350 meters. Musk mallow can also be found again and again on vineyards and farm wheels. As the plant is unprotected not only in Germany but also internationally, it can be picked along the way for a fresh bouquet of wildflowers.
Especially in the Mediterranean region, this mallow has been around since theAntiquity used as a medicinal plant. It was almost seen as a kind of panacea at the time. Even dairy cattle have been fed Musk Mallow to stimulate milk production and thus gain a larger yield.
Healing Effects of Musk Mallow 'Alba'
The musk mallow 'Alba' is said to have an expectorant and anti-inflammatory effect, which the plant can develop, for example, in the treatment of coughs. However, the following areas of application are also quite conceivable:
- for the treatment of age spots
- as a laxative
- for angina
- for intestinal inflammation
- for the treatment of various women's diseases
- for sore throats
- for wounds
- for the treatment of stomach inflammation
In addition to the soothing and wound-healing effect, musk mallow is also said to have the following healing effects:
- expectorant
- soothing
- cough suppressant
- diuretic
- astringent
- milk secretion stimulating
To use the musk mallow as a medicinal plant, you can collect the young shoots in spring and summer. The flowering herb and the flowers, on the other hand, can only be collected very well in summer, while autumn is ideal for collecting the seeds and removing the roots.
You can prepare the dried herb of the musk mallow as a tea, for example. This tea can then be used to treat coughs and gastrointestinal irritation. In the case of inflammation of the throat and mouth, you can also use the tea made from the herbal components of musk mallow for gargling. You can also use the traditional medicinal plant in the following ways:
- as a vegetable (prepare the leaves like spinach as a he althy, tasty side dish)
- for vegetable pulp envelopes
- as an ointment (cook the herb in butter)
- as a root brew
Especially in the Arab world, a chicken soup seasoned with the leaves of musk mallow is still regularly served to this day. The seed pods of the musk mallow can even be pickled sour if required. However, they should not be ready for this yet. The pickled mallow capsules can then be eaten like a kind of capers.
The perfect location for Musk Mallow 'Alba'
Musk mallow does not like s alt or heavy metals at all. Therefore, the soil for this plant should be as rich in nutrients as possible and not too dry at the same time. Too moist soils are also nothe wishes. A lot of direct light, on the other hand, ensures that the Musk Mallow grows very well. If the soil is as low in lime as possible, the musk mallow welcomes this as well. Sandy, well-drained soil is ideal.
Keep the correct planting distance
The perennial shrub is characterized by a bushy, branched, clumpy and upright habit and can reach a width of 50 to 60 centimeters. While the plant can be planted in your own garden from spring to autumn, it is important to keep the correct planting distance. This corresponds to the growth width of the plant and therefore amounts to 50 to 60 centimeters. This in turn means that between three and five Musk Mallows can be planted in an area of one square meter.
In addition, the musk mallow is a very delicate herb. Especially with very strong winds, it can therefore happen that some parts of the plant snap off. To avoid this, the plant is very grateful if you equip it with appropriate supports that promise additional support. Alternatively, you can of course also plant the Musk Mallow in a place that is sufficiently sheltered from the wind and at the same time sunny.
Next to which plants does the musk mallow 'Alba' do very well?
The musk mallow 'Alba' is not only a very easy-care plant, but also gets along very well with many other plants. It harmonises particularly well with the following plants in an attractively designed garden bed:
- Larkspur
- Prachtscharte
- Coneflower
- Rose
- mullein
- Flame Flower
- Peony
- Hollyhock
- various perennials
- Evening Primrose
- Evergreen
- Grasses
The Musk Mallow 'Alba' therefore suits a wide variety of garden types, whereby it comes into its own in a natural garden, but also in a cottage garden and in a herb garden. The plant looks great not only in a dreamy, romantic garden, but also in the following gardens and at the following locations:
- Cottage Garden
- Gravel Garden
- Mediterranean Garden
- Steppe and prairie garden
- Tree edges with enough sun
- on a flower meadow
- in the flower or perennial bed
How to properly care for Musk Mallow 'Alba'
❍ casting:
The summer flower is not allowed if possibledry out and should therefore be watered at regular intervals. This is especially true when there are longer periods of drought in summer. However, you must avoid excessive moisture in the same breath, as waterlogging could otherwise cause considerable damage to the Musk Mallow 'Alba'. It is best to water the plant in the morning or evening hours.
❍ Fertilize:
However, it is not necessary to fertilize the Musk Mallow 'Alba' at regular intervals. Rather, it is sufficient if you fertilize the plant once at the beginning of its growing season. It is best to use compost or a complete liquid fertilizer from specialist retailers.
However, if you plant the Musk Mallow 'Alba' in a pot, regular fertilization is a must. A liquid fertilizer that is especially suitable for flowering plants, for example, is the best way to provide this species of mallow with all the important nutrients.
❍ Pruning:
In general, regular pruning is not necessary for the musk mallow. However, you should make sure that you immediately remove shoots that have already faded. Because only then is the plant stimulated to form new flowers, so that the flowering period is extended overall. If you want the plant to self-seed, it is better not to remove some of the old shoots.
If you want to do a topiary for purely aesthetic reasons, this should preferably be done in autumn. However, if the plant is going to have a very hard winter, it makes sense if the topiary is only done in the coming spring. This way the plant gets through the winter better, as the hanging leaves protect the rest of the plant from a possible frost. Incidentally, when topiary, you should not shorten the musk mallow by more than a third.
❍ Overwintering:
The Musk Mallow 'Alba' is an extremely hardy plant. So no further measures are required to get the herbaceous, pleasantly scented plant safely through the winter. Only the topiary should not be done in autumn during harsh winters, as already mentioned. If frost is to be expected, you can cover the musk mallow with fir branches if necessary.
❍ Control pests and diseases:
Mallow rust is a major problem for the musk mallow. This can be recognized by brown spots that are very noticeable on the leaves of the plant. Unfortunately, mallow rust is very contagious and therefore spreadsout quickly. If there is an infestation, you should cut back and dispose of the affected parts of the musk mallow immediately so that the infestation cannot spread to the other parts of the plant. Treating the plant with a broth made from field horsetail is also conceivable. Here are instructions on how to make your own horsetail broth. Also learn how to prevent mallow rust here.
How to propagate Musk Mallow 'Alba'
The musk mallow is a plant that reproduces itself very reliably. This is done with the help of the seeds of the plant. If you don't want to self-seed, you can also cut off the inflorescences and harvest the seeds. So you can then look at the plant directly where you would like to have it later. You can sow the seeds under glass next spring. On the other hand, if you want direct sowing in the bed, it is better to wait until April. In summer you can also take cuttings to propagate the Musk Mallow.