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Are you looking for a majestic color in your garden? Consider growing hollyhocks for impressive height and dazzling color. They are large, gorgeous plants that grow just about anywhere and don’t require much maintenance.
If you grow flowers around your property, you know that having species of varying heights is ideal. In fact, growing species of different heights and textures can mean the difference between a flower garden that’s just “meh” and one that’s breathtakingly beautiful.
Plus, the flowers are edible and they’re downright tasty, so let’s dig into the details:
Contents
What are hollyhocks?

These great beauties of Alcaeus genus are tender flowering plants of the Malvaceae family. This makes them cousins of mallows (Althaea officinalis) and hibiscus. Depending on the cultivar and your USDA growing zone, these can be annuals, biennials, or perennials.
They come in a wide variety of different hues and make excellent perimeter plants. This is largely because of their size: hollyhocks can grow over seven feet tall! As such, they often need support so they don’t tip over.
Many people choose to grow theirs along fence lines specifically for this reason. Alternatively, you can attach trellises or hooks to the side of your house to give them support that way.
Just be aware that you may not see flowers the first year you plant them. Again, this will largely depend on the cultivar. Biennial and perennial hollyhocks usually take two years to flower. As such, you may want to plant another annual alongside them if you want flowers in the first season.
Best cultivars and hybrids
These flowers come in a surprising range of different hues. I have a penchant for gothic gardening, so I have deep black “Watchman” hollyhocks near my patio.
Other friends grow pink, peach, purple, or red varieties, or a glorious combination of these. If you have a themed garden full of specific hues, you’re bound to find cultivars to suit your chosen aesthetic.
‘Chater’s Double’ has vibrant pink double flowers, while ‘Dwarf Double’ stays small but still has massive double flowers. ‘Sunshine’ has bright yellow single flowers. ‘Blacknight’ is nearly black and ‘Halo Apricot’ has a deep purple center with an apricot exterior.

Plant hollyhocks
Hollyhocks do best in well-drained, fairly sandy soil that contains quite a bit of aged compost. If you think your soil is depleted, amend it with aged manure as well as perlite and vermiculite before planting.
These plants are low maintenance, and people have been successfully growing hollyhocks in zones 2 through 10 for decades. They need lots of sun, so be sure to plant them in an area that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight per day.
If you live in a warmer climate, an area that gets dappled shade during the hottest part of the day would also benefit them.
Sowing seeds
You can take the seeds from your plant in late summer and use them to grow new ones. Or you can buy hollyhock seeds.

Although you can plant hollyhock seeds in the spring, they have a better germination rate if you plant them in the fall. This is because they seem to perform better after a period of cold stratification.
That said, if you’re planning on growing hollyhocks in your garden as soon as possible, there’s a trick that might help. Soaking the seeds in lukewarm water for about 30 minutes can dramatically increase their germination rate. Try to do this before planting them.
These plants grow quite tall and can take a while to establish. This is actually why most people sow in the fall to flower the following summer. If you plan to plant in the spring, sow the seeds in sterile potting soil in late winter. This way, the seedlings will already be a few centimeters tall when you transplant them outside.
Remember that these plants have long taproots. You’ll need to sow them in tall, deep planters so they won’t root in a few weeks.
Caring for Hollyhocks

Although hollyhocks are fairly drought tolerant, they do best when given regular watering. Be sure to keep their soil consistently moist (but not waterlogged) until they are well established. Once they are about 30cm tall, reduce watering to one or two deep glasses per week.
If you worked a lot of compost into the ground before planting, they should have enough food to see them through the season. That said, if you think they could use a little mid-season pick-me-up, they won’t mind!
Aim for a fertilizer that has higher levels of potassium and phosphorus than nitrogen. The latter is ideal for green growth, but not for flowering. As such, try a 0-10-10 or similar and follow the directions on the fertilizer package.
Always water your hollyhocks at root level to avoid fungal problems.
In mid to late fall, cut your hollyhock stems back to about four inches. If you are in zones 6 or lower, mulch them with straw to provide them with a protective bed through the winter. Then rake it in early spring to allow the sun to revive your plants.
Seed pruning and harvesting
Cut the flowers as soon as they start to die and throw them in your compost pile. Alternatively, if you want to propagate more hollyhocks next season, allow some of the flowers to mature into seed heads. These flowers self-seed with great enthusiasm, so you can simply let them lay their seeds in situ.
Of course, you can also collect the seeds before they fall. This way you can sow them in other places and/or trade them with your friends.
Potential pests and pathogens
You are bound to run into some problems when growing hollyhocks, just like with any other plant. That said, they are quite resilient to most health issues. The ones listed below are some of the most common you might encounter.
Rust
If you’re in a hot, humid climate, there’s a good chance your hollyhock plants are afflicted with rust. It is a fungal pathogen that thrives in warm, humid conditions.

You will first notice that the leaves of the plant have rust-colored orange spots. Bumps will develop soon after, then the leaves die and drop off.
Although you can’t prevent rust, there are steps you can take to try and ward it off. For one, you can try growing rust-resistant cultivars. Second, only water your plants at ground level, as mentioned earlier.
Third, remove all debris from the soil around your plants. Keeping the area free of dead leaves and other rotting plant matter will reduce the chances of infection.
If rust appears, water your plants with a copper fungicide. Also, be sure to clean all your gardening tools regularly to avoid cross-contamination. Wash clothes and gardening tools with a little bleach to sanitize them, and keep your boots or clogs clean too.
Anthracnose
This is another fungal disease that thrives under similar conditions to the rust mentioned above. Treat it the same as rust and take the same precautionary measures. Fungal problems like these can accelerate very quickly. As such, if you are growing hollyhocks, it is important to check them daily for any signs of blight.
Hollyhock weevils
These gray-nosed, orange-legged weevils (Longnose Apion) feed on hollyhocks and lay their eggs in the pods. They live in ground-level detritus such as fallen leaves and crawl out to eat and mate at night.
If your hollyhock leaves seem to be eaten away, go out at night with a flashlight and check your plants. Remove these weevils by hand and throw them in a bucket of soapy water.
This will drown them and stop their reproductive cycle. Burn any pods you think might be affected, then spray insecticidal soap or neem oil on your plants to repel additional intruders.
sawflies
A voracious host of sawfly larvae can skeletonize entire plants virtually overnight. They appear as bright green, hairless, caterpillar-like creatures about 1/2″ in length. Collect them by hand and drown them, or feed them to your poultry if you keep them.
Diatomaceous earth can be helpful, as can neem oil and similar pesticides. Keep litter away from your plants and grow yarrow nearby. This will attract parasitic braconid wasps which will help reduce larval populations.
Japanese beetles

These little buggers can completely wipe out the leaves of your plants in a matter of days. Indeed, these beetles only come out of hibernation for a few weeks and gorge themselves as much as they can.
Remove them from your plants as you would weevils and place beetle traps at ground level. Then water your plants with neem oil and hope for the best.
Eat hollyhocks
You can eat any part of the hollyhock, from roots to tips. However, the flowers are the tastiest part. Use the young leaves like spinach and the flowers in salads or sandwiches. You can also use them as a wrap to enclose other good ingredients. If you decide to cook them, add them to your recipe at the last minute.
Pay attention
Although growing hollyhocks is a wonderful hobby, be aware that these plants can cause dermatitis reactions in some people and pets.
You may find that you have a rash if bare skin comes in contact with them. If so, just wear gloves and protective clothing when servicing them. The rash is harmless and can be lessened with cortisone, zinc ointment, or jewelry grass ointment.
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