You will have to be sure and dead head them to prevent getting too many, they spread easily but that is all part of gardening. Once you get Hollyhocks established you will have them forever. Īfter flowering, cut back plants hard, to within a few inches of the ground. Mulch and fertilize with some well-composted manure and you may get another flush of blooms. For best performance, irrigate from below and provide good air circulation. We have some around the neighborhood that thrive in gravelly soil close to the road with no irrigation. Hollyhocks like fertile soil with regular moisture though once established they are drought tolerant. (they prefer warmer soil) Growing Hollyhock Flowers On the spur of the moment, I purchased a package of hollyhock seeds mid- to late-August and planted them in a starter tray. Hollyhocks were certainly growing in England by c 1440 because they are mentioned in The Feate of Gardening. Plant the hollyhock seedlings out in the garden about 2 weeks after last frost. The seeds like it warm to get started so at 70-75 degrees they will germinate in 14 to 28 days. I sometimes pre-germinate the seeds like I do my Delphiniums. To start seeds in a greenhouse or inside your home, plant the seeds in pots or trays, space the seeds about an inch or so apart, press them into the soil and sprinkle a bit of potting mix on top, very lightly firm it down. Hollyhocks are a perfect candidate for Winter Sowing, if you want to start a lot of seeds easily then give it a try! If you wish to start some in pots in February you will still get blooms in Summer. Hollyhock plants get rather large so thin the seedlings out in Spring to about 18 inches to 2 feet apart.
Sprinkle a bit of compost or soil on top, not much, the seeds do need light to germinate and let them overwinter in place. Press the seeds into the soil with a firm step. Many times I don’t do a thing other than let the plant drop its seeds in place but if I am taking seeds to another spot in the garden I will loosen the soil with my Hoe Dag and toss the seeds on top.
How to save Hollyhock seeds after they bloom is included in that post. Mix them with other summer favourites such as campanulas and hardy. The tall elegant flower spikes are produced from the well-known biennials, but you can also try. It will open in a new tab so you won’t lose your place here. Cottage garden stalwarts, hollyhocks are easy to grow from seed and will often obligingly seeding themselves around the garden. To read how you can start Hollyhock seeds easily in Fall, just click to read. Many of my freely reseeding plants get sown in Fall and they bloom the following Summer, Hollyhocks are one of them. Hollyhocks are considered biennials but mine have lived for several years now, so I consider them more of a perennial. If you make a purchase after clicking a link I may make a small commission at no cost to you.