Primarily made up of wildflowers, poppy mallows also include at least one ornamental available for planting in temperate gardens. The latin name Callirhoe comes from a minor Greek goddess connected, along with her thousands of sisters, with bodies of water worldwide.
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Callirhoe involucrata is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names purple poppy-mallow, winecup and buffalo rose. It is native to the Great Plains of the United States and adjacent areas in northern Mexico.
The plant is popular for the masses of pink or reddish-purple cup-shaped blooms with a white spot in the middle, that gives them the name wine cups. The showy flowers are borne at the tips of the stem. They open in the morning and close in the evening.
The plant sprawls with low growing foliage topped with bright purple cup-shaped flowers that bloom in mid-spring through fall. It works just as beautifully in a formal garden as it does in naturalized areas or spreading over walls – especially thanks to their white center. It’s a wonderful groundcover that grows up to 6-12 inches tall and spreads about 3 inches wide.
The plants form a low foliage mound producing several prominent central column vine like stems that are up to 4″ inches long. The angular stems are colored light green to dull purple and covered with tiny white hairs. The alternate leaves are more or less orbicular in shape, palmate and consist of 5 main lobes.
Bloom time starts in early spring and peaks in early summer. Individual flowers grow from the axils of the leaves. The flowers consist of 5 deep magenta petals and a whitish green calyx. When they’re mature they expand outwardly with their numerous stamens and pink style branches. Each carpel consists of a single seed and the plant spreads by reseeding itself.
Wine cups work really well in wildflower meadows, xeriscape gardens, rock gardens, and as a ground cover plant. They can also thrive as a lovely ground cover, or in containers and hanging baskets.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight and Temperature
The purple poppy mallow is native to hot climates and loves full sun. Therefore, it’s best to grow these plants in a garden with bright sunlight. The plant grows best in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 4-8. The ideal temperature range for these plants is 50-80 °F. However, they’ll bloom in hard afternoon sun, and harsh summers. Because these plant readily self-seed, there’s no need to fret when they die back in winter. They’ll return the following spring.
Water and Humidity
Buffalo Rose plants are drought-tolerant and prefer dry soil so they have very low to average water needs. Keep watering regularly but sparingly during the first growing season to promote root establishment. Once roots are properly established, infrequent but deep watering works best. Over watering can cause crown rot on these drought-tolerant plants. Most of the time, you won’t have to provide more beyond the rain that falls in spring and summer.
Soil
Wine cups grow best in moderately moist to dry soil that is well drained. Poorly draining soil can lead to crown rot, as these drought-tolerant plants are not suited to water retention. Therefore, well drained soils such as sandy, rocky, gravely and loamy soils are ideal for this plant. The preferred pH range is mildly acidic from pH 6 to 6.5.
Fertilizing
Callirhoe involucrata is a light feeder. If the soil is especially poor, you can scratch in about an inch of blended compost prior to planting. After that, you can top dress with light fertilizer during spring time. Do not fertilize these plants. Because they’re native meadow plants, they won’t perform as well if you do.
Pruning
There is no need to prune Callirhoe involucrata plants, as they are relatively prolific and short-lived. However, as with most plants, it’s best to remove any diseased or dead foliage as it crops up.
Propagation
The plant can be propagated through seeds or by division. With seeds, direct sow outdoors in fall, allowing the cold of winter to provide stratification for the seeds. If you’re looking to grow it in your garden, cold stratify your seeds in sand in a plastic bag. Place them in a refrigerator for 2 to 3 months before sowing in flats. Germination usually takes place within 1 to 6 months at 59°F (15°C). Once the plants have produced about 8″ inches of growth, you can put the pots outside in spring.
Division of bedding plant is best done in early summer with small and young plants as Callirhoe involucrata resents root disturbance. The root system makes division of established plants difficult. Ensure you’ve dug an adequate amount away from the plant’s root mass to avoid transplant shock. Then carefully transfer your divided plants into their new location.
Pests and Diseases
- Growing Problems
Make sure that the soil in which they’re growing is well drained. Poorly drained soils and overwatering can lead to diseases like root and crown rot. If your plants don’t bloom in the first year, check to ensure conditions are appropriate for growing them. If they are, you may see blooms next year instead.
- Common Pests
There are no known issues of pests with this plant. Sometimes, it can suffer from a slug attack. To get rid of them you should keep the soil and surroundings dry. Beer traps or slug bait can kill them if they become a serious issue. Hand pick them at dusk when they come out if necessary. However, slug damage rarely gets worse than a few munched leaves so you may not need to treat them at all.
- Common Diseases
High humidity or wet soil can lead to fungal infections of root rot and crown rot in some cases. Like most of the issues that crop up with wine cups, these hardy plants can handle small infections. Those that completely rot roots and crowns require removal and disposal of plants. Avoid planting in an area where the fungal pathogen that causes root rot has previously thrived. Solarize infected soils if necessary.