Lavatera trimestris Rose Mallow This member of the mallow family is native to the Mediterranean and was introduced to England in 1633. Rose mallow became a cottage garden favorite there and has since become naturalized throughout Europe and North America. It's a juicy plant and an emollient, which makes it Venus, and logically enough, it is often used in love magick. The flowers can be pink, rose, white, or striped (as in the engraving); the white-flowered types have something very Moon about them. Despite the Venus connection, mallow is often associated with Samhain, and the Greeks planted it around graves. This friendly, non-toxic herb is considered helpful for repelling negative spirits--some make a spiritually protective ointment of 2 parts mallow, 2 parts rosemary, and 1 part verbena. This herb is connected to malachite, which was named for the color of mallow's leaves; malachite would be a good stone to use with this herb, especially because it is green, a Venus color. The edible flowers added to a bath are thought to soften hardness of the personality. Its flower essence helps unify heart and mind, so that we are neither too rational nor too emotional. It encourages intuitive thinking, opening oneself up spiritually without losing one's free will, and builds integrity. The flower essence is good for people who feel distanced from their emotions, who have repetitive thoughts, or whose thoughts lead them to be intolerant, rude, or react overly emotionally to others. In the language of flowers, mallow stands for "sweet disposition." In the Garden
This magick herb blooms from
mid-summer to frost and in China is a traditional
flower for house decoration in September. Its
silvery, shiny flowers look good with fuzzy
wormwood or
lamb's ear. It is
related to High
Mallow but is as easy to germinate as another
of its relatives, Black
Hollyhock. This bushy, deer-resistant plant
likes to grow in sandy soil. It is good for
xeriscaping, making a temporary hedge (great
around a circle), and can grow by the ocean. Like
most cottage garden plants, it prefers cool
weather and will languish in humid heat but will
perk up again when it cools. Bees love it, and it
makes good cut flowers that last a long time. This
plant is also known as royal mallow, regal mallow,
annual mallow, and fairy cheese, this last because
its fruits are shaped like a round cheese.
Deadheading (pinching off dead flowers) will make
more blooms, but let some set fruit; each fairy
cheese contains 12 seeds that can be saved when
fully ripe and planted the next year (in a
different place to avoid plant disease)
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Lavatera trimestris
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