Checkerbloom is a California native perennial in the mallow family, producing upright stems lined with cup-shaped pink to rose-purple flowers from spring into early summer. It is a larval host plant for the West Coast Lady (Vanessa annabella) and Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) butterflies and supports specialist native bees, including Diadasia species that forage almost exclusively on mallow-family plants.
Native to coastal grasslands and meadows of California and Oregon, established plants are drought tolerant and go semi-dormant in hot, dry summers. The plant spreads slowly by rhizomes, is reliably deer resistant, and demands well-drained soil; heavy clay or consistent moisture promotes crown and root rot. It performs best in dry meadow gardens, native plantings, and informal mixed borders with moderate to low fertility.
Powdery mildew
White or grey powdery coating on leaves - usually starting on older growth in humid conditions or when nights cool.
Improve air circulation by thinning plants. Apply neem oil or potassium bicarbonate spray at first sign. Avoid overhead watering.
Rust
Orange to brown raised pustules on the undersides of leaves, with yellow spotting on the upper surface. Heavy infections cause leaves to yellow and drop.
Remove and destroy infected leaves. Avoid overhead watering and improve air circulation. Apply a sulfur or copper-based fungicide if it spreads. Clear plant debris in fall.
Root rot
Plants wilt, yellow, and stunt even in moist soil; lower stems and roots turn brown, soft, and mushy and the plant may collapse. Most common in heavy, wet, or poorly drained ground.
Improve drainage and stop overwatering, and never plant too deep. Lift and destroy badly affected plants along with the soil around the roots. Grow in raised or free-draining beds to prevent it returning.
Crown Rot
Lower leaves yellow and wilt; the base of the rosette turns brown and soft, sometimes with white fungal threads at the soil line. Plants collapse in wet conditions.
Remove and destroy affected plants. Improve drainage and avoid overhead watering. Do not mulch directly against the crown. Space plants for airflow and avoid replanting in the same wet spot.