How do you care for the Marshmallow plant also known as Althaea officinalis?

Question

I would like to know how to maintain this plant

Answer 1

prefers moist, sandy soils.

Answer 2

I think Mark pretty well covered it. Mallows are pretty tough plants and are fully hardy here in the UK, so you should be able to grow them outside anywhere here. Althea officinalis is no exception.

Like a whole host of plants they like a moist but well drained soil, but Mallow is prone to rot off at the roots, so dig in a good quantity of grit in and around the area that you want to plant if your soil is on the heavy side.

If you've been growing it indoors so far (in the UK) then it will have got used to the warmth of being in, so planting it out now may give it a very nasty shock. If so keep it going until the spring and then plant it out when the nights are a little warmer and the days a lot sunnier. Or leave it out during the day and bring it in at night for a couple of weeks prior to planting.

Hope that helps a bit.

Answer 3

Sorry about the cut and paste - I don't normally do this

Succeeds in almost any soil and situation[1, 4, 200], though it prefers a rich moist soil in a sunny position[4, 200]. It also tolerates fairly dry soil conditions[1]. Plants are hardy to about -25°c[187]. Marsh mallow is often cultivated in the herb garden, as a culinary and medicinal herb as well as for ornament[61]. Its roots were at one time the source of the sweet 'marsh mallow', but this sweet is now made without using the plant[4].