The cool and sometimes wet spring has encourage the dreamsicle-orange flowers of Desert Globemallow, Sphaeralcea ambigua, to perform spectacularly. This pollen-rich, simple-petaled bloom attracts a number of different pollinators, but my honeybees are big fans of the flowers, certainly all-in with the bounty of the beautiful blooms.
Bees land in the blooms, dig in, and roll around the golden glory, exiting the flower with a good sprinkling of pollen as they make their way to other flowers and eventually back to the hive.
The Globemallow is a cool season bloomer, producing its showy flowers until summer’s heat sets in. If a significant June or July rain event occurs, the shrub is happy to deliver another dose of orange crush, much to the pollinators’ appreciation and the gardener’s delight.
The spring garden is popping with all sorts of pollen-laden plants and pollinators are punctilious in their pollination proclivity. In particular, bees–both native and honey–are performing their tasks, adding to the pulchritude of the garden and the procreation of new plants.
Five Desert Globemallow shrubs, Sphaeralcea ambigua, that now grow in my full-sun garden, are powerhouse plants with pretty flowers; honeybees are passionate about these blooms. Four of the shrubs are pictured here, two in front, and two on either side toward the back, near the wall of the house. One shrub grows prolifically off-camera. I’m pleased as punch that I now have the perfect place to grow these peachy/sagey plants.
All five were damaged by the week-long hard freeze in January, but have rebounded with aplomb. I’m pumped about their growth and blooms.
Sun or clouds, honeybees visit the dreamsicle mallow blooms daily; they exit the blooms sprinkled with pollen, and buzz forth, from one bloom to the next. I can’t help but wonder: is it possible that honeybees become too pollen-packed to fly to their hives?
While Desert Globemallow is native to North America, it isn’t native here in Central Texas and can be a pain to procure. Mine have produced a couple of seedlings; with some good luck and careful transplanting, sharing of plants is in the plans.
In its native range of Nevada, Arizona, California, Utah and parts of Mexico, Globe Mallow tends to a longer bloom time than I’ve enjoyed here in humid Austin. These pretties’ bloom production will become pokey once summer’s heat pummels the garden. Except for occasional freeze damage during winter, the foliage is perfectly attractive year-round.
A tiny ant heads in one direction along the petal while the honeybee heads in another, finished with her work on this flower.
Prolific blooming at its finest, the Desert Globemallow flowers are preferred by pollinators and the pride of this gardener.
On a cloudy, not-too-windy morning, I strolled through my front garden, stopping to admire one of my Globe Mallow, Sphaeralcea ambigua, shrubs. Its soft silver-green ruffly foliage, paired with the stunning dreamsicle orange blooms melts my gardener’s heart.
Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed a streak of movement, though it took a minute or so for me to see it again, catching sight once the flash landed. It was a zippy thing, this flash, not lingering on any surface–until it did. The mystery critter proved to be a Green Sweat Bee, Halictidae, and was all in with the luscious mallow blooms.
I was pleased to see this bee at the mallow, though not surprised: this plant attracts a wide variety of pollinators. I now have enough areas of full sun for this gorgeous native North American plant to grow it in several areas of my garden.
My Gardener Says... 