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Sphaeralcea fulva 'La Luna' (White Mallow) - This gray-green foliaged shrub grows to 3-4 feet tall by as wide with shallowly-lobed, and mealy-textured 1 inch long leaves that are held on fuzzy golden stems. At the branch ends form the 1- to 2-foot-long wands of cup-shaped flowers of clear, silky white petals tinged with pink that adorn the plant much of the year.
Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil. Very drought tolerant. Cold hardy down to the low 20s° F with some tip dieback at 20° F. A nice plant for the dry garden with a long bloom period and unusual color combination with its golden stems, gray leaves and white flowers. Flowers last long in arrangements.
Sphaeralcea fulva 'La Luna' was introduced by the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden as Sphaeralcea fulva Accession# 91-183. This species , an endemic to San Quintín Bay in Baja California, Mexico and it was collected near there in the coastal desert scrub vegetation of Baja California del Norte, Mexico by landscape architect and garden friend Randy Mudge.
Our plants are from Santa Barbara Botanic Garden introduction program. We grew it from 2003 until 2007. More information on this plant can be found on the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden's > Sphaeralcea 'La Luna' Plant Introduction Page.
This information about Sphaeralcea fulva 'La Luna' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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