variety of color shades including pinks, reds, yellows, whites and maroon-blacks
Foliage:
green leaves on upright stems holding flower spikes
Propagation:
seeds
Suggested Use:
back borders, accents against walls or fences
Growing Hints:
Purchase plants or start from seed by sowing seeds directly into the garden in the spring to early summer. Plants will bloom the following summer. For possible first year blooms, start seeds indoors in late winter. Hollyhock seeds need light to germinate, so barely cover seeds with soil. Plants may live a third year if you cut off their flower stalks after blooming, otherwise plan to replace spent plants with seedlings to keep a crop blooming each summer without interruption.
Interesting Facts:
The hollyhock is a relative to the hibiscus. Children adore making dolls out of hollyhocks. Use a flower for the skirt. Use a bud to top the skirt with a head (attach with a toothpick) and put another flower on the head to serve as a bonnet.
I live in an old Western mountain town where hollyhocks have been established as long as the old mines have been closed down! So I gather seed in alleys and along median strips. The hollyhocks will try their best to grow, even when there's only a little soil on top of the granite!
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