My Tiny PlotHollyhock
Hollyhock’s really are a beautiful flower. Totally useless for cutting however, as the flower stem is so large that by the time the bottom flower has finished blooming and is dying away the top flowers are only just thinking about opening. They are also huge plants that take up lots of room. Maybe next year I will only grow them at the allotment. Don’t forget the stakes!
I also love hollyhocks (in other people’s gardens) but must confess that I have been allowing them to decline in mine. As I am fussy and crave a ‘tidy’ garden I find that the rust on the leaves is pretty unsightly and as I am trying to be as organic as possible I don’t want to use any chemicals on the young growth. Funnily enough the one I have left is the same colour as yours, a lovely cerise pink, and as my Dad gave me the seeds when we moved in to our place 9 years ago I do not feel that I can turf it out. I agree with you to have them on your allotment, if I had one I would definitely dedicate a very large patch for cutting flowers and cottage garden plants.
I concur! Beautiful little suckers.
Have you ever made hollyhock ladies?
You take a bud and a bloom. Pick the stem off of the bloom and dig a tiny hole with a toothpick or something. Take the bud and leave a little bit of stem on it and stick it into the hole of the bloom.
She looks like a little head with a skirt.
Hollyhocks are so gay. Love em.
What is the requirement for the amount of sun holyhocks need to grow?
As with most flowers – the more sun the better. Mine are doing well in a part of the garden that gets sun from about 11:00am until 4pm.
hi i have just collected masss of Hollyhock seeds from a garden in France. Should I plant the seeds now or store until Spring?
regards
Well – I have never planted Hollyhock from seed but since now is when the seeds would seed naturally then I would throw in a few now and save some for next Spring. That way you cover all options.
I too am in love with Hollyhocks! I have had great success in growing them! Especially this year! I do find however that if you start out with a doubly ruffled flower…it always seems to turn back to a single flower. But I still adore them1 Mine have reseeded happily and anywhere! One secret I would like to share though is to pinch off those top buds a few times …even before any blooming occurs1 I know this is hard because it is so exciting to see the color, but it will be WELL worth it! The stocks will be much stonger they will not need any support and they will last much longer in blossoming , because they will have multiple flowering branches! Just keep them dead headed which is the real chore but a must!