I have Lavatera at the front of the house.
I have Lavatera at the bottom of the garden. In fact, it is an ideal plant for this area and I will have one anywhere I have a space in the garden. The grey green leaves give a clue and it is indeed a well suited plant to withstand hot, dry summers.
It can get a bit untidy as its fast growth can take you by surprise. It is not a long-lived shrub and we have already got a small shrub in waiting and some cuttings – just in case they are needed. They root very easily and are not difficult to find homes for if you end up with an extra pot or two.
Mine is a Tree Mallow but I have no idea of the species. In French it is called Lavatère en Arbre or Mauve en Arbre – a very appropriate name as they are mostly this mauve colour.
They attract all sorts of pollinators, it is a Carpenter bee in the above picture.
However, it is at this time of year I love to check out the flowers in the morning and I often find what I think is a Tetralonia malvae bee still asleep in the flowers.
What surprises me is that she is not an early riser. I took this photograph at 9.44 a.m.
You do not often get the time to get close up and photograph bees. What appeals to me is that she is such a fluffy bee. Her long feathery hairs on her hind legs look so silky but are perfect to transport caches of pollen to her nest.
Once she starts collecting pollen the hairs are covered and take the colour of whatever pollen she might be gathering. She is pretty faithful to the Malvaceae family but the pollen colours do vary.
This is what she looks like gathering pollen from the Marsh Mallow.
So many reasons for growing Lavatera.
Very interesting and beautiful bees ! I have never seen this kind of bees. Nice photos ! I need to have a look to my “mauve”.
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I’d be very interested to see if you find bees sleeping inside your Mauve. I do not know if this bee lives in the North of France. Amelia
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Bees are more on lavender than on Mauve in our garden. We have 5 lavenders, which is a lot in a small garden, and they attract a lot of all kind of bees, but I can’t take good photos of them ! I’ll have a better look on Mauve.
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Lavatera was one of my Mum’s favourite shrubs, she grew it in Norfolk in the UK. We do not have it here in Seattle, though I think it would be happy. My carpets of creeping thyme which are everywhere are currently covered in bees of various kinds, and we are just about to cut down the daises that grew in a lawn area. Waited until the bees had done their thing. Great pics as always Amelia.
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I have a thriving cutting of the Lavatera, there is just the problem of the Atlantic Ocean and a bit more :(. Thyme is such a great plant for the bees and the daisies grow back soon. Amelia
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It look like Lavatera maritima to me, only because that is what is common here. However, the color is more like that of Lavatera olbia. I really do not know.
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Do you get any bees sleeping in the flowers? Amelia
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I never noticed. I do not grow any of the Lavateras, but have encountered them at work. I now the bees really like them, as well as the Abutilon.
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Here our Abutilon attracts more the honey bees not the Tetrallonia. I love that plant too. Amelia
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You know, now that I thin of it, they do not attract the Tetralonia malvae because they do not live here. I should have thought of that earlier. Honeybees do happen to like the Abutilon, but prefer the rosemary and other flowers that re out in warmer situations. The abutilon is down in riparian situations. About noon, I will be near a rather large abutilon that happens to be out in the open, and is typically a circus of bees. It gets ants too but not in a serious aphid-fest sort of way. They just come, take some nectar, and leave.
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Fascinating to see the Tetralonia bees and lovely pictures.
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Thank you. I am not getting into the garden as much as I would like because of the heat. I am even starting to yearn to do some weeding – and that is very strange. Amelia
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We had one in our yard that was definitely planted by a bird! It was lovely to have. 🙂
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That was a very kind gift! I am sure I get my cotoneasters the same way. Amelia
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Beautiful…those long leg hairs are to hold the HUGE mallow pollen grains, which are almost as large as pumpkin pollen grains. 🙂
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The Dasypoda are out too now, probably the champions of hairy legs. Amelia
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Yes!
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