What Do Hollyhocks Look Like

The single or double, cup-shaped flowers have little or no stalk and bloom on tall spikes. Hollyhocks come in a wide variety of colors: blue, pink, purple, red, white, yellow and even black. The tall spikes are covered with blooms from top to bottom. Hollyhock leaves are large, coarse and palmate in shape.

Do hollyhocks come back every year?

Hollyhocks are biennial or short-lived perennials. In the first year they put on root and foliage growth and in the second they flower, set seed and then die.

Do hollyhocks spread?

Growing Hollyhock Flowers For best performance, irrigate from below and provide good air circulation. Once you get Hollyhocks established you will have them forever. You will have to be sure and dead head them to prevent getting too many, they spread easily but that is all part of gardening.

What does hollyhock foliage look like?

Hollyhock is the common name of plants in the genus Alcea and family Malvaceae. The tall, erect plants are identified by light green, round, lobed leaves growing on the end of long stems. The attractive feature of hollyhocks is the colorful cup or funnel-shaped flowers growing solitary or in clusters.

What time of year do hollyhocks bloom?

Bloom midsummer-early fall. Hollyhock Flowers: Four inch double flowers borne on wand-like stems. Blooms start near the base of the stem and move upward so that 1-1/2 to 2 feet of each stem is covered with bloom throughout the season.

How long do hollyhocks take to grow?

Sow hollyhock seeds in a cold frame or protected seedbed in the early summer. In rows 6 inches apart, just press seeds into the soil. Keep moist and protect from the sun. Seedlings emerge in 12-21 days.

What month do you plant hollyhock seeds?

You can plant hollyhocks from seed now, in the late summer, and you may get blooms next summer. Or wait until late winter or early spring and start transplants indoors. Or, you can plant them outside from seed later next spring. If you wait to plant until next year, you’ll most likely have to wait a year for blooms.

Do hollyhocks like sun or shade?

Hollyhocks are not fussy and survive in many spots but do best in soil that has been amended with compost. They do not like dry soil. With adequate moisture and good drainage, hollyhocks can thrive in full sun or partial shade. Try them in a few different spots in your yard and see where they are happiest.

What do hollyhocks symbolize?

Hollyhocks symbolize the circle of life, ambition, fertility, and abundance. Traditionally these flowers have been planted near the front door to welcome in prosperity to the home.

How many hours of sun do hollyhocks need?

Whether outdoors or indoors hollyhocks thrive best in a full-sun environment, so make sure you have a sunny garden bed. Hollyhocks will manage in partial shade as long as they receive at least six hours of sunlight per day, but the more sunlight they receive, the stronger your hollyhock flower blooms will be.

How do I identify hollyhocks?

Learn how to identify hollyhocks in our short guide. Leaves: Large palmately-veined, simple leaves. Petioles: Round, (more or less). Stems: Up to 300 cm high, typically 200 cm or so. Flowers: Large, with five green sepals, and five, partly-lobed petals.

Are hollyhocks herbaceous?

hollyhock, (Alcea rosea), herbaceous plant of the hibiscus, or mallow, family (Malvaceae), native to China but widely cultivated for its handsome flowers. The plants readily reseed and are considered invasive species in some areas outside their native range.

What’s the difference between a hibiscus and a hollyhock?

There are however, differences. Unlike the Hibiscus, the Hollyhock’s leaves are divided and edged with rounded lobes. They are also not as thick and shiny as those of the Hibiscus. A Hollyhock bud possesses the same outer ring of bracts, and inner calyx, but they are lighter green and more hirsute (hairy).

When can I plant hollyhocks outside?

when to plant hollyhocks The best time to sow hollyhock seeds undercover is April and May. You can sow the seeds directly outdoors in May and June. If you have bought hollyhocks as plants in pots or raised them from seed, they can be planted out May to July. They flower the following year after planting.

How tall do hollyhocks get the first year?

Alcea rosea hybrids The results have been extraordinary – the introduction of the first true perennial, single hollyhock series. Bloom is from late spring through early fall. Plants will flower the first year when started early and grow to up to 5-6 ft. tall and 5 ft.

Do hollyhocks flower all summer?

A classic cottage garden staple, hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) bloom mid-summer with numerous flowers on tall spikes. However, there are also many varieties that behave like short-lived perennials and will flower in their first year when planted early enough in spring or started indoors in winter.

How do you get hollyhocks to bloom in the first year?

To force biennial hollyhocks to flower the first year, treat them with gibberellic acid, a flower inducer that takes the place of a cold period. Planting them in fall may also induce hollyhocks to bloom the first year.

Are hollyhocks hardy?

Hollyhocks are fully hardy and flower in the second year after sowing. They are short-lived perennials and available in both single and double flowers. Hollyhocks are not long lived so always allow seedlings to grow and keep the best plants and flower colours.

Do hollyhocks have deep roots?

Description. Hollyhock spikes grow 4 to 8 feet tall on a root structure with a long main taproot. They grow as biennials because the crown-buds on the root structure are easily dislodged when the tall center spike blows in the wind or is disturbed at the soil line.

Will deer eat hollyhocks?

Hollyhock Plant Features A classic cottage garden favorite, hollyhock produces towers of gorgeous flowers from mid- to late summer. The plants may seed themselves and will take two summers to mature enough to flower. Hollyhock is relatively deer resistant.

Should you soak hollyhock seeds?

Try soaking the seeds overnight before you plant them. This loosens the outer layer of the seed and allows for better germination. When you plant the seed do not cover it with soil. It needs light to germinate so it is better to put the seed on the ground or growing medium and then press it lightly into the soil.

Can hollyhocks be grown in pots?

Hollyhocks require a large container, such as whisky barrel to allow room for their roots to grow. Although dwarf varieties have smaller roots, the more room you give them the happier they will be.