How to Grow Hollyhocks (Alcea) in Your Flower Garden :- A classic example of a “cottage garden” plant, hollyhocks bloom throughout the summertime. For several days, flowers open from the base of the flower stem and move upward. Plants appear to bloom for months on end because to tall spires of many blossoms that can reach heights of 4 to 6 feet.
How to Grow Hollyhocks (Alcea) in Your Flower Garden
Author and horticulturist Joseph Tychonievich declares, “I’m a huge fan of hollyhocks!” “They’re an inexpensive way to cover a garden because they’re so simple to grow from seed, and bees and other pollinators adore the flowers.”
Are Hollyhocks Annuals or Perennials?
The majority of plants we cultivate are hybrids of Alcea rosea, which are either biennials or short-lived perennials. In their first year, biennial plants produce foliage; in their second year, they blossom and generate seeds.
Since these plants easily self-seed, new plants appear to grow every year, giving the impression that they are perennials. Additionally, there are smaller varieties that are grown as annuals and bloom in the first year. True perennials are only a few species.
When and Where to Plant Hollyhocks
Direct sow seeds outside in early June, or a few weeks past the typical last frost date. Press a few seeds, spaced approximately two feet apart, into moist soil in a full sun area with well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter.
Plant one seedling every two feet by thinneling the seedlings as they grow. The plants typically don’t require staking. Groups of them planted along walls or fences, or at the back of perennial borders, look particularly lovely.
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Once every flower has flowered, the flower stalk can be cut off, but deadheading the blossoms is not necessary. Fertilisation should take place at the start of the growth season, not in the summer.
Gardeners should cut down any growth to the ground, bag it, and discard it every year following the first frost of the autumn season. The chance of fungus spores overwintering in the garden is decreased when plant waste is bagged rather than added to the compost pile.
Pests and Diseases
A common fungal illness, rust is more prevalent in hot, humid environments. When rust first appears, the tops of the lower leaves have patches of orange and yellow colour. The undersides of the leaves develop raised, brown to red pimples as the condition worsens.
Although it can hinder development and be unattractive, this normally doesn’t harm the plant. Other unrelated plants are not vulnerable to this strain of rust, but it can spread to other hollyhock plants and other members of the mallow family.
Rust, in my opinion, is the only drawback, claims Joseph. Regretfully, rust occurs to every species I’ve tested, including ones that are advertised as resistant to it. To disguise the rust, my suggestion is to just grow them at the back of a garden with other plants in front of them.
Use proper gardening methods, such as adequate spacing, good air circulation, avoiding overhead or evening watering, and promptly removing sick leaves, to help prevent fungal diseases. Rust-resistant cultivars behave differently depending on the surrounding conditions. You can attempt preventive fungicides, but they won’t get rid of the illness once the rust starts.
A wide range of “foliage eaters,” such as sawflies, weevils, and Japanese beetles, are also drawn to the plants. Although all three can be manually removed and disposed of in a bucket of soapy water, they will feed on the leaves.
Varieties of Hollyhocks to Grow
Flowers can have single or double flowers and range in colour from red, pink, purple, yellow, and white to “black” (dark purple). William Chater, an English gardener, created the most widely used strain throughout the 1800s. Chater’s come in a variety of colours and have two flowers. These are either short-lived perennials or biennials.
The single-bloomed Spotlight series, Blacknight (dark purple appearance), Mars Magic (bright red), Polarstar (white with yellow eye), and Sunshine (bright yellow), were created by Jelitto Perennial Seeds breeders
The Halo series, designed by Thompson & Morgan, features big, solitary blooms with contrasting centres that come in a range of colours. Perennials in both series will bloom in their first year of life.
Fig-leaf (A. ficifolia) and Russian (A. rugosa) are two species that are said to be resistant to rust. Although A. rosea and fig-leaf have been crossed to create a broader colour range, the resultant plants might not be as resistant to rust as the original species.
Happy Lights (yellow, red, purple, salmon) and Las Vegas (brown to red, pink to white, and yellow to copper) are still worth trying to grow. The sole blossom produced by the Russian hollyhock is yellow.
Dwarf versions, such as the Queeny series, the Spring Celebrities Mix, and the Majorette Mix, are 2 to 3 feet tall and feature double flowers.
