From the Cape region of South Africa, Anisodontea brings with it the easy-going constitution of a plant evolved for dry summers and mild winters. The genus name hints at its distinctive leaves: aniso for uneven, odon for tooth, describing the palmately lobed, irregularly toothed foliage that gives the plant its textural interest between flushes of bloom. Those blooms, ranging from soft pink to deeper purple, arrive in such profusion that spent flowers drop cleanly without the need for deadheading.

In zones 8 and warmer, cape mallow functions as a permanent fixture, occasionally cut back by frost only to resurge in spring. In cooler regions it performs beautifully as an annual or overwintered container plant. Morning sun suits it best; too much afternoon heat in summer slows its pace and stretches its stems. Kept at 2 to 4 feet through an annual spring pruning, it maintains a tidy, floriferous shape that draws bees reliably throughout the season. Good drainage is the one condition it will not negotiate.