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Named "holy hock" by the Crusaders, who brought the plant back to England, this old fashioned favorite has been popular in gardens since the 15th century. They were also one of the first plants brought from England to colonial America. The larger double strains of these flowers came from China in the 1700s.They are just as popular in today's gardens, possibly because hollyhocks are so simple to grow.
They are a great way to cover up an old unsightly fence or ugly building, often giving character and enhancing otherwise unattractive buildings.
Hollyhocks are biennials and extremely hardy, zone 3, and come in an impressive array of colors and forms. They are a member of the mallow family, which includes hibiscus, and okra. Alcea rosea or hollyhocks petals can be ruffled or fringed and the flowers can be single, semi-double, or double. The doubles often are so full they nearly look like a rose. Their 6-foot tall spires make them great as a background plant, but there are some great dwarf varieties if you don't have a place in your garden for something that tall. Alcea ficifolia is an interesting variety if you prefer something a little different. It is the Fig-leaved hollyhock and the leaves are slightly different. It has lovely pale yellow flowers. Another interesting variety, Rosea 'Nigras' flowers look black until you see them in the sun and then you can see the flowers are actually an intense dark maroon. 'Chater's Double' with its lovely deep fuchsia pink flowers is a real favorite. There is such a large variety of colors to choose from that the tricky part is making up your mind which one.
Easy to start from seeds, you can often harvest some seeds from a friend's plant, or purchase interesting seeds from the garden center. You can also purchase a plant in the spring, so that you have flowers that season, and seed around it for the next years flowers. You can start the seeds indoors, in February or March or you can just sow harvested seeds directly back into the garden in the fall.
The main drawback of hollyhocks is they are prone to rust. Plant them somewhere in the garden where they are not getting watered on frequently and give them good drainage. They like rich soil but will tolerate most soil types and are often found naturalized in fairly arid soils. Treat plants with copper sulfate, lime sulfur or garden sulfur to control the rust. It is unsightly but will not kill the plant. Make sure to clean up all of the leaves from infected plants or it will infect again the following year. I treat the soil with garden sulfur to help prevent this problem.
Lindi Karmason
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