Tips for Planting and Growing Hollyhocks

Hollyhocks are big, beautiful flowers than can add a touch of country or cottage charm to any yard or garden. Because of their height they make terrific backdrops in flowerbeds and look lovely when grown up next to a building like a shed, garage or house. Hollyhocks are also beautiful when grown next to fences and their height can help to provide a bit of privacy and make your yard feel more enclosed. Depending upon the type of hollyhock you plant and the growing conditions, hollyhocks can grow as tall as 6-8 feet and occasionally even taller than that.

Hollyhocks come in a number of different varieties, and each variety will have different features including height, longevity, and color. Depending upon the variety, hollyhocks can either be annuals, biennials or perennials, although the perennial versions can sometimes be fairly short lived compared to other perennials. Hollyhocks tend to reseed themselves and if let go can develop into hollyhock patches over time.

The colors of hollyhocks can be purple, magenta, yellow, pink, white, deep scarlet, coral and just about any other color you can imagine. Hollyhocks are great for attracting hummingbirds because of their trumpet shaped flowers and bright colors.

Hollyhocks are usually either grown from seed or from small seedlings. You should plant hollyhock seeds in the early spring just barely under the surface of the soil. Hollyhocks tend to do best if they have a bit of room to grow, so try to space the seeds at least 18 inches apart for formal plantings. If you prefer to grow a large patch of hollyhocks rather than a row or organized grouping you can just scatter the seeds and cover them with a light layer of soil. The seeds should germinate within about 10-15 days.

At the end of the season after the last of the blooms has faded the hollyhocks should be cut back to the ground to grow again next year. You can harvest seeds from your hollyhocks to plant the following spring if you would like. Just wait for the wait until the seed pods turn brown and dry out at the end of the year and then pull them off and remove the seeds to plant again next year.

One great thing about hollyhocks is that they are easy to grow which makes them a great choice if you are just getting started with gardening. The only real concern with hollyhocks is that they are susceptible to fungus growths. If your hollyhocks become heavily infested with fungus it can cause the leaves to curl or become disfigured. To help prevent the growth of fungus try to water them close to the ground instead of directly on the plant and keep an eye out for signs of fungal infections. You may need to treat them with an anti-fungal spray occasionally as well.

Hollyhocks like lots of sunshine and grow well in zones 4-10 which makes them a great choice for a large number of locations. Be sure to shop around and check out all of the different types available.