Sidalcea cusickii (Cusick's Checkermallow)

Cusick's Checkermallow is a rare and lovely Oregon native in the mallow family, with slender upright stems that carry spikes of hollyhock-like flowers in warm pink to rose from late spring through midsummer. The flowers are smaller and more delicate than a hollyhock but share that same simple, open form, each petal with fine veining and a clean satiny sheen. Plants grow from two to four feet tall and are entirely deciduous, dying back cleanly to the ground in fall and emerging reliably each spring.

As a native of western Oregon and neighboring states, this checkermallow is well adapted to Pacific Northwest conditions, including the Curry County coastal climate where Dragonfly Farm sits. It tolerates moist soils and can handle the kind of wet winters that challenge many perennials, while also persisting through summer dry spells once roots are established. Native bees and various small pollinators visit the flowers regularly, and the upright form works well at the back of a mixed perennial border, in a rain garden, or in a meadow-style planting with native grasses and other Oregon wildflowers.

Sidalcea cusickii is a species of conservation interest in parts of its range.