Globemallow "Colors"

I planted a few dozen of these seeds last March, using a 5 gallon pot with a self-watering base, and heavy clay soil with some fresh wood chips mixed in. These guys were stubborn and did not want to sprout- I think out of about 40 seeds or so, laid out directly under a thin layer of clay, maybe 8 sprouted, 4 survived to be a decent size, and only two survived through winter. I didn’t try this, but soaking the seeds overnight in the cold might be more effective, but I just kept the soil moist, and several had sprouted after about two weeks. I lost a few to the summer heat, and quickly figured out they did much better in the shade with some direct sunlight during the day, but not too much. They also seem to love to dry out between waterings, and I found imitating monsoon conditions was pretty effective.

The leaves can be pretty large, but sparse, and it will take a long time for them to branch out if you leave the primary meristem untouched. I waited a little too long, but eventually pinched the primary meristem, and it worked well. Doing this early on should produce a bushier plant with more flowers. Both of mine are kind of lanky at 2 feet tall, but they are both starting to produce an absurd number of buds on every branch as of the beginning of February, and I’m expecting a lot of flowers. One hasn’t bloomed yet, but the other is a bright pink, and it’s one of the prettiest flowers I’ve seen in a long time. I will absolutely be growing more of these.

This globemallow seems to be smaller than the orange varieties I’ve seen in the wild, and the leaves are almost soft to the touch, though still a bit prickly. Almost every square inch of the plant is covered in trichromes, which might be a little irritating if you’re getting too much on your bare skin, but I actually used the crushed, fresh leaves for a face mask on few occasions, so I wasn’t having that kind of reaction. If you have allergies, I could see this plant requiring some long sleeves and gloves.

Part of the reason I grew this was for medicinal purposes. The leaves can be used as a tea, but I didn’t really enjoy the flavor too much. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it has a strong and unique, earthy, herbal flavor that lingers. I tried mixing it with matcha, cream, and vanilla, which was ok, but I have yet to crack the best way to consume it. It is absolutely a unique flavor, though. The leaves also dry well and will easily rehydrate if soaked in warm water, but the dried trichromes make them slightly hydrophobic, which is kind of cool. I liked to crush fresh leaves into a paste and mix them into an oil or lotion to apply to my scalp and beard, which had a really pleasant cooling effect, and quickly became my favorite way to use it. I also discovered that as a tea it can help with some gut issues I was having after having radiation, so despite the taste, it does seem to do.. something positive. I felt very lucky to have it around. I haven’t tried the flowers yet, but I probably will once they really get going.

This is a great, small plant that can handle pretty rough conditions once established. Definitely would recommend if you’re curious about them.

I won't be planting them until spring in MI.

Globemallow "Colors"

We've "planted" the seeds this past weekend and will let you know our results. Thanks.

I love the seeds in the packaging and it arrived exceptionally fast. Made my head spin.