How to Grow and Care for Lavatera

Lavatera is one of the most effortless plants to grow. The plant is an upright and shrubby variety, mostly known for its attractive foliage that displays large, showy flowers on the top of the plant. The flowers have the appearance of bright white color such as ‘Mont blanc’ for a beautiful deep shade of rose/purple like the burgundy wine. 

Flowers are usually something that you manifest from the middle of the summer until the very start of the first frost. Therefore, these flowers are seen as well-formed around September. 

Hence, as a novice gardener, you must be wondering how to grow and care for the Lavatera plant.

In this article, we are going to discuss how you can grow and care for this plant in your garden so you can cope with Lavatera problems if you decide to produce it. 

Care Guide for the Lavatera

Like one of the close cousins, hollyhock, lavatera is another plant that you can grow effortlessly if you meet the basic requirements that it needs. In this article, we are discussing how you can care for your lavatera plant. 

1. Light 

Lavatera should be planted in a region with full sun where the flower most specifically receives sun to grow into a prolific and robust garden plant. The plant is such a fast grower that it is prone to flop when it grows in shade. 

Therefore, you shall prefer to grow the plant in full sun, as it is beneficial for your plant to grow efficiently and ideal for flower production. You may also try to grow your plant in partial shade if you belong to a warmer climate to keep your plant cool during the warm summer of these regions. 

2. Fertilizer

Before you cultivate your lavatera into your garden soil, you can mix a slow-release granular fertilizer in the soil of your garden. Hence, in the middle of the summer, you can apply a liquid flower fertilizer and follow all the instructions in the product. However, you should avoid over-fertilizing, or else you will end up with a lot of foliage and just a few flowers in the plant. 

3. Temperature and Humidity

Lavatera is a plant that doesn’t like hot and humid summer weather. However, it requires warm and dry weather to flourish. 

4. Pruning

The best time to prune your lavatera plant is the season of spring. Hence, you shall cut the plant in the third or half of the last frost to encourage new growth and promote the current year’s yielding of the plant. Moreover, you can also cut the damaged parts from the branches at any time of the year. 

5. Solid and Water

Lavatera is a kind of plant that needs well-drained soil with some moisture. Hence, if the soil is kept wet, then the plant is most likely to make the roots of the plant rot. Therefore, after the plant is established, you can be assured of its drought resistance. However, it is best that you don’t let the soil dry. 

6. Potting and Repotting Lavatera

Lavatera is one of the most decent choices that you can grow in your garden. Hence, you can choose a pot that has some excellent drainage. Later, you can fill the pot with some potting mix in the compost or soil of the mix. Try to choose the container size as per the plant variety you are using. Manage to keep the pot big enough but not too big as per the plant you are going to cultivate. If you use too large a container, then it may lead to waterlogged soil, and this can cause problems for Lavatera. Moreover, try to avoid the plant unless it’s quite necessary. Lavatera doesn’t like their roots to be disturbed. 

Growing Guide for Lavatera 

As you know, Lavatera has issues with sensitive roots. You should plant Lavatera seeds directly in the soil around the time of last spring frost. Hence, if you want to start planting them in pots indoors, then before you move them outside, ensure to use a compostable pot so that you can put the plant directly into the ground without irrigating the soil. 

As for the indoors, you shall so you are seeds in the potting mix for more than 2 months before the end of the frost. And try to keep the pot at a temperature ranging from 68 to 75 Fahrenheit. Moreover, you shall plant the seed at a very shallow depth, at a level where the soil is just covering the seed. After following all the procedures, keep the soil well moist. 

Moreover, you shall germinate the seed in two or three weeks. Therefore, move the plants outside for the full sun location so that the plants can thrive well. The right time to place the soil outside is when the two sets of leaves have come out and maintain it with water properly. 

Conclusion 

Lavatera is a type of plant that shows a visually striking appearance and is resilient while enhancing the beauty of the garden. Hence, if you want to grow them for this preference, then you may need to face some Lavatera problems. However, you can handle these things easily by knowing properly by following the instructions and tips.

In this article, you were able to learn about the necessary things that will help you to get through growing your favorite vibrant blooms.

And you also get to explore how you can care for them.