Oregon Checkerbloom
Sidalcea oregana
Spires of small pink mallow flowers rise above lobed basal leaves in early summer, giving the effect of a refined miniature hollyhock. A plant of damp western meadows, so unlike most natives sold for dry gardens it wants soil that stays moist. Specialist bees in the genus Diadasia depend on mallows like this one.
- Family
- Malvaceae
- Type
- shrub
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 4.5–4.5 ft
- Spacing
- 1–2 ft apart
- Light
- sun, part shade
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral, alkaline
- Bloom
- May, June, July, August, September
- Bloom colors
- red, pink, purple
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, butterflies, hummingbirds
- Landscape uses
- border, rain garden, naturalizing
- Native states
- CA, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY