Althaea armeniaca

A tall, airy, branching herbaceous perennial native to Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Althaea armeniaca produces a generous succession of five-petalled rose-pink flowers with a darker centre from mid-summer well into autumn. Bees of all kinds find it irresistible.

Hardy to −20°C and deep-rooted, this is a genuinely tough and long-lived plant that will self-seed gently and, over time, establish itself as a handsome clump. It thrives in full sun in free-draining or poor soils — a natural choice for gravel gardens, sunny wildlife borders, and dry, chalky sites. Unlike many in the family Malvaceae, it shows good resistance to rust.

Height × Spread: 140cm × 100cm