Apricot Globe Mallow

I purchased this plant two years ago. I am not sure why, but I really wanted it.  I even paid the big bucks to get it, which I don't usually do.

And I love it :o)

I love the incredible bright pop of color that it lends to the garden.  It doesn't bloom often, and it is kind of a scraggy looking plant most of the time.  I also should have planted it more toward the center of my bed.

But it sits right there at the front... and I love it.

I have never pruned it. Maybe if I did, it wouldn't be so leggy.  But I don't know what time of year I should prune it, and I don't want to hurt it.

I found this picture of my globe mallow when I first purchased it, and it was low to the ground and sprawling.  Now it is upright... maybe if I do a big prune in late spring, it will return to this form.  

Notes pulled from online sources:
Globe mallow (or desert mallow) is not as common in Central Texas as it is out west, such as Arizona and New Mexico. But it does very well here. Its silvery gray leaves heighten colors around it all year. At the end of the cool season, it flowers with orange to pink hues. Globe mallow can be sheared or allowed to grow in a more natural form. Along with its visual aspects to the garden, it also performs well with a minimal amount of water. It’s also resistant to disease and insect problems.

This perennial wants full sun, and well-drained soil. It grows to about 30 x 30″.

Pruning: Prune once a year to approximately 6 inches to 1 ft. after it has finished blooming in late spring/early summer, which will help to prevent them from self-seeding, maximize future blooming and minimize unproductive, woody growth. Globe mallow is not the type of plant to repeatedly shear into a formal shape. When pruning, wear gloves and long sleeves since the tiny hairs on the leaves can be irritating to some as well as an eye irritant.