Hollyhocks are beautiful old-fashioned flowers that have graced gardens for generations. I can remember my Grandmother having them growing by her garage. It seemed like she had every color of the rainbow. My mother has some growing the west side of her house. Hollyhocks attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to sip the nectar of the single, double, or semi-double flowers. The flowers are 4 to 6 inches wide and they come in a variety of colors like white, pink rose red, purple, black, yellow and apricot.
The old varieties of hollyhocks can be as tall as 9 feet, but newer strains tend to be much shorter, like around 2 feet tall. The leaves are big and round with bristly hairs. almost any gardener can grow hollyhocks. They don’t require perfect soil or conditions. Once they become established, hollyhocks will self-seed themselves back every year.
Location
In the spring, two weeks before the last expected frost date, find a sunny location to grow your hollyhocks. If you are growing the old-fashioned variety, choose a place that offers some wind protection. It is also wise to find a place like a fence or building that will help support their tall length.
Prepare the soil by digging the area with a garden fork. Although hollyhocks can grow in poorer soils, it won’t hurt them to amend the soil with 2 to 3 inches of organic compost along with some well-rotted manure. Hollyhocks grow well in dry to moist soil, but prefer a soil that is well draining, rich, and moist.
Rake the soil level, removing any rocks, sticks, or hard dirt clods that the rake brings to the surface. Leave the ground alone for one week. This allows the soil to settle so you don’t lose the small seeds in the cracks of the earth where they will be too deep to germinate.
If you don’t care whether the hollyhocks are in rows, scatter the hollyhock seeds thinly over the soil. If you want a more formal type garden, place the seeds on top of the soil in marked rows. Try to leave 18 to 36 inches between each seed and don’t puddle the seeds in one location.
Barely cover the hollyhock seed with a fine layer of soil. Press the soil with your hands, so the seed coat is in contact with the soil. Seeds buried deeper than 1/4 inch will not germinate.
Watering
Water the soil with the misting nozzle of your hose or use a sprinkle head watering can. You will need to keep the soil evenly moist until the seeds germinate. It takes about 12 to 14 days for the seeds to sprout.
Water the soil regularly while the hollyhocks are growing. when you water, do so at ground level instead of overhead spraying. When the foliage gets wet, it can make the plant more susceptible to disease. When the weather is hot, it is important to keep the soil moist.
Mulching
Place a 2 to 3 inch layer of organic mulch over the soil. Mulch helps the soil to retain moisture and prevents weeds from growing. It also breaks down into the soil adding nutrients to the earth that the plants need. Mulch will also provide the right environment for next year’s seeds to germinate when they spill to the ground in the fall.
Staking
If the plants are top heavy, you may need to stake or tie them to help hold them upright. When the flowers fade, you can remove the flowers or allow them to release their seeds to the ground, so you will have hollyhock flowers next year.
Fertilize the hollyhock bed twice during the season with an all-purpose fertilizer. Read the label directions for the amount to use.
Disease
Hollyhocks are susceptible to rust, which looks like the leaves have become rusty and powdery mildew makes the leaves look like they have powder on them If left untreated, these diseases can disfigure the leaves. Apply copper or sulfur based fungicides as directed on the label to treat the problem.
