Meadow Checkermallow (Sidalcea campestris)
Meadow Checkermallow is a gorgeous, long lived hollyhock like wildflower native to Oregon's Willamette Valley and no where else! It's a component of the Willamette Valley Oak Savanna meadows where it grows with to Oregon Iris, Oregon Sunshine, Prairie Cinquefoil, Shooting Stars, Camas, Seablush, Tarweed, Lupine, Yarrow, Nootka Rose, and various native bunch grasses etc. It is uncommonly found these days due to it's susceptibility to herbicides and it's tendency to grow along fencelines and road sides. Happily it is very easy to grow from seed and is well adapted to the wet Winters and bone dry Summers we have in the Willamette Valley. This charming wildflower is the host plant for quite a few butterflies and moths and is loved by our native bees! Song birds also love the seeds!
Meadow Checkermallow is a completely edible native vegetable. The leaves are a wonderful addition to soups, sautes, & salads and the flowers make a beautiful tasty addition to salads or desserts. It makes a lovely addition to many garden situations from the most formal flower bed to the wildest forgotten corner or fenceline.
Meadow Checkermallow grows best with full sun to part shade and prefers heavier soils like clay. It is very adaptable to to the garden, tolerating a wide range of moisture and soil nutrient levels. When in flower it's flower spikes can be 4-6 feet tall with clumps growing to ~2 feet wide.
Each seed packet contains 50 seeds and germination instructions are included.
Meadow Checkermallow at a glance
- Average growth dimensions - 2-5 ft tall x 1-2 ft wide
- Dormancy - Winter deciduous / semi-deciduous (evergreen in mild climates)
- Plant type - Perennial herb
- Sun - Full sun - part shade
- Water - Moist - dry
- Flowering time - Late May - August
- Flower color - White - light pink
- Soil preference - Highly adaptable (in well draining soil)