lavatera arborea in a container - drooping, drooping drooping

[lisazahner]

I have a beautiful lavatera plant (which I think is of the arborea(tum?) variety. It is currently planted in a half wine barrel. While it is growing and flowering, I have to water it every day because by the end of hte afternoon, it is visibly drooping. Does anyone have any advice about this? Perhaps it simply can't be in a container? Any thoughts? Thankyou.

[David E. Ross]

The foliage is outgrowing the ability of constrained roots to supply moisture. If you wish to keep it in a container, you must trim the plant. Alternatively, replant in a larger container.

Also, consider replanting with a potting mix that is more amenable to supplying moisture to roots even as the mix starts to become dry. See my for a do-it-yourself recipe.

[Stewart Robert Hinsley]

In message , [e-mail] writes

If you want to check which type you've got have a look at my gallery -

is a Lavatera arborea (now Malva dendromorpha to the botanists) - see under section Anthema - but occasionally other types are mistakenly labelled under this name.

My experience is that Lavatera arborea doesn't need that amount of watering - I've got several year old seedlings in 7" pots - and that "Olbias" (mostly Lavatera x clementii) do require more watering. I sometimes place pots in a tray, and give them a good overnight soaking, but I guess that may be impracticable for a half wine-barrel. You could try giving it a little shade during heatwaves.

Growing Olbias in containers isn't ideal. If you don't feed and water them adequately they'll fail to thrive. (I have a lot in pots of various sizes, due to lack of garden space, but the ones that have been planted out are much more vigorous. Lavatera arborea is rather tender, and there is, in my locality, advantages to growing them in pots, so you can give them winter shelter. They will however survive in a suitable microclimate.