Growing guide

How to grow Lavatera

Lavatera are stress-free, good value plants. Although the shrubby types are not very long-lived, they remain firm favourites with many gardeners for their profuse summer-long flowering. Here we look at how to get the best from them.

Save to My scrapbook

Quick facts

  • Mallow-like funnel-shaped flowers in white or pink
  • Ever popular free-flowering shrubs and subshrubs
  • Annuals make inexpensive bedding plants
  • Best planted in spring
  • Enjoys a well-draining site in full sun
  • Shrubby types are pruned hard in late spring
  • Propagate shrubby cultivars from softwood and greenwood cuttings; raise annuals from seed

All you need to know

Before you get started
Planting
Ongoing care
Pruning and training
Propagating
Problems
While we think all this information will be helpful to you, we always recommend to read the instruction labels on your plants.

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.