GENUS NAME Alicia Rose
Light the sun
Plant type Perennial
Height 3 to 8 feet
Width 1-3 feet
Flower colors are Blue Purple Red White Pink Yellow.
The color of the plants Blue-green
Features of the season Summer Bloom
Problem solvers are Good for privacy.
Special features Less care attracts birds that cut flowers.
Zones 3 4 5 6 7 8
Preaching Seeds
The Holly Hawks are the epitome of cottage garden plants. These magnificent flower towers bloom for a long time in summer in a wide variety of colors. Chances are you’ve seen them leaning against the warehouse, in front of a beautiful cottage-style house, or in front of a white picket fence. Along with this old age, the plant has captured the hearts of many people.
Colorful Combinations
If there’s one defining feature to describe the hollyhock, it’s height. With a range of 3 to 8 feet tall, even the short end of the height spectrum is impressive. When you have a mass planting of these stately beauties in full bloom, it’s really quite a show.
The flowering stalks of hollyhock, Alcea rosea, are covered in buds from the top down to the rosette foliage at the base. Once fully grown and ready to burst into color, these blooms start at the bottom and slowly work their way up, unfurling a little at a time. As the flowers continue to open, there will typically be several blooms per stalk, all opening at once to create beautiful columns of rainbow-worthy color.
Hollyhock Care Must-Knows
If the striking pillars of blooms are what you’re after, it’ll take some patience. Many of the most common hollyhock varieties are biennials. This means that these plants spend their entire first year just growing foliage and storing nutrients for the following year. In their second year, hollyhocks use their stored energy from the first year to put on a spectacular floral show. As they bloom, they harness this energy to create as many seeds as possible. These plants have used up all their energy and died at the end of their blooming season. Luckily, the seeds are shed and returned to the ground to start the whole process again.
If you plan on planting these from seed in your garden, know that you generally won’t have blooms until the second year. Another important detail about growing hollyhock from seed is that they’re easy to start by direct-sowing the seeds straight into the ground. Hollyhocks and many other members of their family have very long taproots. This makes these plants a little tricky to transplant. So if you want to get a head start by growing seeds indoors before spring, be sure to plant the seedlings outside while they’re still young to prevent disturbing the taproot too much.
Hollyhocks typically grow against something for support, whether a wall, along a fence, or on the back of a mixed border. Having a support system is especially important for taller varieties.
Rust and Other Not So Fun-gi
If you’ve ever grown hollyhocks or been up close to admire their blooms, you may have also noticed some not-so-pretty foliage at the bottom. Unfortunately, hollyhocks are prone to rust, a type that preys only on members of the hollyhock family. The first sign of hollyhock rust is yellow spots forming on the lower leaves of the plants. As the rust progresses, you will usually see brown- or rust-colored bumps on the underside of leaves. Plants grown in high humidity or places with poor air circulation are especially prone to this.
Related: Plants Hummingbirds Love
Keep an eye out for early symptoms of rust and other fungal problems. If you see a problem starting, remove the affected leaves and dispose of them by burning or sealing them. Spores from fungus are spread easily by water and wind, so splashes from rain or a hose can spread the fungus to nearby plants. Keep foliage dry and water below leaves, if needed.
More Varieties of Hollyhock
‘Chatter’s Double’ Hollyhock
Alcea rosea ‘Chater’s Double’ offers frilly double blooms in a variety of colors, including peach, pink, scarlet, purple, yellow, and white. Zones 3-8
‘Kareem de Kissas’ Hollehook
Russia’s ‘Cream de Kisses’ beers Striking, White-Remnant Raspberry-Severe Flavors 3-Death-Tall Stalks. Zones 1-6
‘Indian Spring’
The Russian ‘Indian Spring’ is available in single pink, Russian, yellow, and white flowers. Plants Tower So ٨ Ft. Zones 1-6
Hollyhock
Alcea rosea ‘Old Barnyard Mix’ grows 6 feet tall. The 3- to 5-inch-wide single flowers may be deep red, pink, yellow, maroon, salmon, or even bicolor. Zones 3-8
CREDIT: MIKE JENSEN
‘Peaches’ n Dreams’ Hollyhock
Alcea rosea ‘Peaches’ n Dreams’ has ruffled, double peachy-pink blooms with overtones of raspberry and apricot. It grows 4-6 feet tall. Zones 3-8
Hollyhock Companion Plants
Clematis
Clematis is undoubtedly the most versatile vine you can grow. Few other climbers offer such a broad range of bloom colors, shapes, and seasons. Dwarf clematis is perfect for growing in containers or on decks and patios; medium-size varieties look great intertwined in small trees. Plant a blue or white clematis with a red climbing rose for a knockout mix. Most clematis grows best in full sun and moist, well-drained soil. Note: All parts of clematis are poisonous.
Shasta Daisy
Always fresh and eye-catching, Shasta Daisy is a longtime favorite. All cultivars produce white daisy flowers in various degrees of doubleness and size. The sturdy stems and long vase life make the flowers unbeatable for cutting. Shasta daisy thrives in well-drained, not overly rich soil. Taller sorts may need staking.
Shrub Rose
Shrub roses take the best of the hardiest rose species and combine those traits with modern repeat-blooming and diverse flower forms, colors, and fragrances. Some shrub roses may grow tall, with vigorous, far-reaching canes; others stay compact. Recent rose breeding has focused on developing hardier shrub roses for landscaping that needs little to no maintenance
No-Fuss Sun-Loving Garden Plan
This garden stays looking great no matter how hot the weather gets. Follow this garden plan for a low-maintenance bed with the best hot-weather plants.
