Orange Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua)

20170923_164754This has to be one of the most interesting plants in our garden.  The small, but profuse, orange blossoms coat the stems that emanate from the base of the plant and stick around for months on end.  The leaves are an eye-catching bright green.  Plant this and you will be able to enjoy the quintessential hum of summer as bumblebees and hummingbirds will flock to your yard.  When the sun shines on it just right, the flowers seem to glow like magical little lights.

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The “Joys” of Gardening

Let’s face it, plant growers lie. To be fair, it’s more like incomplete truths than all out lies, but no nursery is going to label a plant with “Under ideal circumstances this plant is great, but most of the time it really just sucks”. So you’re left with the task of discovering your plant’s dirty little secrets the hard way: after you’ve already had it in the ground for a good long time and it’s already caused a lot of problems.

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