If you’re a fan of long-lasting flowers, hollyhocks are a great choice for your garden.
It’s a perennial that blooms all summer long and is a favorite among gardeners.
Cottage gardens frequently feature Hollyhocks (Puccinia malvacearum). Shorter perennials look great with them as a backdrop, and they come in a wide range of colors.
Most hollyhocks (Alcea spp. ), a vintage cottage garden perennial, are biennials, meaning that they flower in their second year after being started from seed. Hollyhocks are known as “short-lived perennials” because they typically die after flowering, but they can bloom for several years at a time. Hardiness zones 2 to 10 are suitable for Hollyhocks.
Tip
Most hollyhocks take two years to bloom after being started from seed.
Several varieties of Hollyhocks are available.
According to Better Homes & Gardens, hollyhocks can grow to a height of 3 to 8 feet. According to the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Russian hollyhock (Alcea rugosa, zones 4-8), which is native to Ukraine, can reach a height of up to 9 feet tall. Single and double blooming cultivars are available. A single-flowering hollyhock, the ‘Indian Spring,’ is available in white, pink, and yellow (Alcea rosea ‘Indian Spring,’ zones 2-10). The ‘Peaches ‘n Dreams’ hollyhock (Alcea rosea ‘Peaches ‘n Dreams’ zones 2-8) is a cultivar with double blooms.
When planted early enough, a few hollyhocks will bloom in their first year. There are a number of hollyhocks, such as the “Queeny Purple” hollyhock (Alcea rosea “Queeny Purple,” zones 2-10), that can produce a lot of flowers in their first year of planting. March’s seedlings will begin to bloom in May, at the earliest. With heights of between 20 and 30 inches, ‘Queeny Purple’ is a short cultivar.
Gardening with Hollyhock Plants
Hollyhocks are a great choice for planting in borders or against fences and walls because of their height and large flowers that can grow up to 4 to 5 inches wide. They thrive in six or more hours of direct sunlight each day, which is what is meant by “full sun.” In windy areas, stake tall hollyhock varieties. Soil is not a big deal for hollyhocks, but they do need good drainage in the winter.
From June to August, hollyhocks, both annual and perennial, put on a show. In August or September, the Missouri Botanical Garden recommends planting hollyhock seeds. Because of their long, delicate taproots, hollyhocks are best grown from seed rather than transplanted. Plants should be spaced between 12 and 18 inches apart, according to South Dakota State University Extension. Alcea rosea is considered invasive in some parts of the United States because of its tendency to self-seed.
Keeping Hollyhocks happy
By removing spent blooms as soon as they appear, the South Dakota State University Extension Office says that you can increase the likelihood that your hollyhocks will continue to bloom after their second year. However, Cornell University recommends that you allow hollyhock seeds to germinate and grow, which will result in a long-lasting effect in your garden once the plants are established.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension reports that rust, a fungal leaf disease that spreads easily and can stunt plants and cause leaf drop, affects hollyhocks. Yellow spots first appear on the lower leaves. The undersides of leaves eventually develop raised red lesions. Keep the leaves of your hollyhocks dry and well-ventilated to avoid the formation of rust. In addition, you should keep hollyhock beds free of weeds and avoid using seeds from infected plants.
