What it is
Rock Rose (Pavonia) (Pavonia lasiopetala) is in the Malvaceae (Mallow) family. A airy Texas native with pink hibiscus-like flowers all season. Reseeds politely and asks for nothing.
How to grow it
It wants full sun to part shade, water it low, and give it lean, well-drained soil. Target a soil pH around 6.5–8.0. Space plants about 2 ft apart. Expect roughly Blooms spring–fall. Hardy native shrublet.
How it's used
Rock Rose (Pavonia) is used: ornamental; pollinator.
🔎 How to identify it
- Soft fuzzy maple-like leaves
- Pink five-petal flowers
- Self-sows lightly
Not for eating
How to grow & propagate rock rose (pavonia)
Everything I've worked out about starting this one, keeping it alive through a Texas year, and turning one plant into many — free.
How to propagate rock rose (pavonia)
The mallow family loves heat. Sow the seed once the soil is thoroughly warm — soaking it overnight helps the hard coat — and give it full sun. The perennial members (Turk's cap, rock rose) also root from softwood cuttings taken in early summer.
Growing rock rose (pavonia) in Texas
Give it full sun to part shade and lean, well-drained soil. Match the spot to the plant and most of the battle is already won.
Time your planting to our long warm season and watch the frost dates at both ends; the live weather tool on this site is built for exactly that.
Once it's rooted in, this is a low-water plant — overwatering does more harm than drought here. Water deeply to establish, then back off and let it prove how tough it is.
Harvesting
Figure on roughly blooms spring–fall before you're harvesting.
Making more for free
If you want more, let your healthiest plants mature fully and collect the seed once it's dry on the plant — then store it somewhere cool, dark, and dry until next season.
Part of the free Texas Roots plant database, compiled by Jordan Polasek from his greenhouse in El Campo, Texas. Free to read and share. If it helped, the best thanks is to grow something.