Hello, I came across this thread on a Google search for Malva Moschata Alba and so I just now joined Garden Web in hopes that some of you who posted here are still active members even though the thread last posted in May 2007. My name is Douglas and I have been an avid gardener for about 20 years now. However, my real interest is in Natural Fragrance and Natural Perfumes. I personally LOVE all of the Malva's and have always included many variety's in my gardens over the years. But I have not had much experience with the Moschata cultivar's. At this time I am looking into Malva Moschata Alba in particular as several of my old Perfumery books state that this variety produces a Musk Fragrance in the entire plant? Some varieties are known to produce this fragrance in only the Seed, Flower, or Root portion of the plant. I produce limited edition Natural Fragrance Extracts for Perfumers and Fragrance Enthusiast's around the world and am hoping that some of you here might be willing to advise me or share with me your experience with the different Malva Moschata's you have growing with regards to their fragrance and what parts of the plants you have noticed them in. If all goes well I am planning to plant and harvest several acres of Malva Moschata Alba or other Malva Moschata cultivars later this year or in early 2013. This harvest will be used to produce a quantity of Musk Mallow Absolute (which is a concentrated solvent extract) used to make Natural or partially Natural Perfumes by artists in the Fragrance and Flavor Industry. If I am able to get the information I need from experienced gardeners and growers like yourselves, to identify cultivar's with high fragrance content and where in the plant it is located. Or if I can at least confirm the information I have from these Old Fragrance Publications dated from 1851 to 1936. I believe that with your contributions of experience and information, Scentsual Antiquities, myself and the local farming community here in central Utah which have offered to provide the land, equipment and labor/skill to grow and harvest these plants for our project, that together we can succeed in producing this rare and beautiful Natural Fragrance Extract and make it finally available for use in a Perfume that can be enjoyed and experienced by everyone even if they can't visit your gardens or come to my Perfume Studio. This Natural Perfume has never before been made available to the public since by the time it was finally identified and researched, the Fragrance and Flavor Industry had turned to the cheap synthetic musks developed after World War II and which by the way were almost chemically identical to or closely related to Tri-Nitro Toluene or TNT and other Benzene related explosives which could be very cheaply produced in the post war explosives factories using left over stocks from the bomb production assembly lines. Even today, one of these synthetic musks, Acetyl Di-Nitro-Butyl Toluene, known as Musk Ketone, is used in everything from Shampoo and Hair Conditioner, Soap, Laundry Detergent and Dryer Sheats/Fabric Softeners, Air Fresheners, Deodorants, and to add depth and fixation of fragrances for Toilet Paper, Toiletries and Shaving products in general, as well as Flavors and even the very most expensive and well known High End Perfumes of France, England and America and is still among the most widely used Musk Fragrances in spite of it's toxicity and the environmental impact caused in producing it. Any of you who would like to contribute your knowledge and experience to this and other projects that I and Scentsual Antiquities are regularly involved in to identify, extract and produce Natural Fragrance Materials as alternatives to the synthetic chemicals now used and to support with your knowledge, observations and experience the movement toward a healthier and greener environment, this is your chance! Please email me, Douglas at ScentsualAntiquities@yahoo.com and reference your email Malva Moschata Alba so that we can establish contact with one another. You may also follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/scentsualantiquities and via the Scentsual Antiquities website at http://www.scentsualantiquities.com/. My Gratitude and Thanks in advance to any of you able and willing to advise me and share your experience and knowledge of the Malva Moschata cultivars with me. Be Blessed, Douglas

Thank you for your replies. Yes, staking! Yes, I should have thought of that sooner. The stems are so thick and splayed that I'm not sure I can get them up and around some stakes and garden twine, but I'll try. This plant is pretty carefree, and I've been working on a slope at the opposite end of our property, so wasn't observant enough. Thank you for sending me to Dave's Garden. This site and Dave's Garden are wonderful! I registered and was able to look at a couple of pages of examples. Wow, the novice gardener learns! First that mallow is part of the hibiscus family. There are many examples that look exactly like mine, but I see mainly the flowers themselves--need closer look at size of plants and leaves. I am on dial-up at warp speed, so I can't do anymore today as my eyes and patience have had it. I'll do some more research, thanks for your help. alleycallie. PS: And I'll try to get to the computers at our local rural library which do have DSL to look up the proper "family" or is it "genus" (?) name first before posting.

Will, your hibiscus looks gorgeous and I so appreciate all the care and concern you've shown for it. It will be so pretty when it blooms! Now...a word or two about the Japanese Beetles. You may want to rethink using a trap as they supposedly attract more beetles to your garden. I attached a link with some good information about controlling the darned things that may be helpful. I've had good luck over the years using Neem oil products on the plants plus treating the lawn for grubs. Please post more pictures when your hibiscus is blooming. Rosie Here is a link that might be useful: Stop Japanese Beetles

Hi there! To me, your cuttings do look healthy, I don't see any issues with them at all, not even the leafy one, I think that's a good thing! You will face some challenges growing in a cooler climate with a shorter season but it can certainly be done. Your soil mix sounds good, you want well draining soil. The green could be from the fertilizer or possibly surface mold? Hard to tell from the pics but if your moisture levels are good & your soil is well draining I wouldn't worry about it. I wouldn't fertilize again since you said you used Osmocote - that's a time release, correct? If so, it should have all the fertilizer it needs for a while. What your plant needs most now is sun. Give it as much sun as you can. I wouldn't cut, fertilize or do anything to it but get it some sun & keep it warm. What plumeria dislike the most is cold and wet. Plumeria will go dormant in the winter time so your leaf loss and difficulty with those cuttings that rotted have a lot to do with the time of year and temps at that time. When you start cuttings that late in the year I would definitely recommend a heat mat. Springtime is a little easier to start cuttings since it's naturally their time to grow. This year when the temps begin to dip down below about 50 you'll want to bring the plumeria inside for the winter & either water only about a cup a month, if even that much, and let them go dormant otherwise you'll need grow lights to keep them going. I'm sure others will have more advice for you, please keep us posted on your progress!