Perennials: Hollyhocks

Well, robin, I guess that's good news for me, anyway! I have some seed but it's got all that nonsense on it about 6 - 8 weeks before last frost and scary words like "greenhouse" and "seedling". I'll just sow them near where the plant ones are and hope for the best, which is generally my policy about gardening anyway. :-)

xxxx, Carrie

Carrie I think that is as good a policy as any and good luck Robin

I'm going to be growing these this year from seed and I an wintersowing them right now. Here is a grower who sells all types of seeds and she also has lots of great informartion about growing and caring for them and yes she does mention rust and preventing it before it happens.. Ans she mentions pests as well. :)
http://www.wuvie.net/hollyhocks.htm

Susan

My beloved Grandfather always grew Hollyhocks so I do too. Every time I see them I get warm memories. . I planted mine from seed started inside. Some bloomed the first year. They do self seed thus new ones every year, so you get some with flowers every year.

My favorite story about them is that they were planted around the out house and since they are tall it was easy to see where it was. That way the "ladies" didn't need to ask the indelicate question of where the out house was.

What a great story! I choose plants in memory of my grandmother all the time....
xxxxx, Carrie

I plant Pansies in memory of my grandmother every year. She said she liked their "smiling faces" She is the one who taught me the love of gardening and also of making jams and jellies. I know that she is looking doewn on my Pansies every year and smiling. Did I spell Pansies right? I am a very poor speller but if I didn't spell it right yu know what I mean.

Mini--I grow hollyhocks every year here in a similar climate to yours. I start mine in small seedling pots (peat pots dry out too quickly for me) with germinating mix at end of July outside on the shady porch. Watch the water constantly as it is so hot down here at that time of year. When they get about 4 true leaves, plant out in garden (usually end of Aug) and make sure they never dry out. They will sit in the ground and sulk until about mid-Oct and then grow like gangbusters all winter long. They then start blooming (for me anyway) about end of April-mid May. They like pretty rich soil and will not make it thru the heat of summer for me, anyway. I treat them like bienniels. Here are mine, as of Friday with an old lettuce leaves mulch behind them. I'm into heavy mulch with them, and everything else down here. Hope this helps.
Debbie

thanks for sharing this Debbie. I have lots of seedlings coming up right now from my wintersowing efforts and I had no idea they would be so slow to start. I would have really wondered what was wrong by the end of summer of they weren't close to bloom size, even though I know it can take two summers to see blooms :)

Susan

Hi everyone I haven't planted my hollyhock seeds yet but have some coming up from last year even though I pulled them up there must have been some seeds that made it. I am still going to plant the seeds and also have something I bought at Walmart that say's its Hollyhock but is in plastic (I haven't opened it yet , just put it in the fridge until ready to plant) It is long and has roots. Never saw anything like it before.and dont have any instructions with it. Is anyone familiar with this? It is still 28 degrees on my porch in the mornings so am waiting for another week or so before planting as it is warming up fast now. At least I know I will see some Hollyhocks this year if nothing else pans out. Wish me luck

Just reading back over this thread... it is fairly remarkable that one plant should be desired by so many of us in so many different zones! Something like 3a to 9b! Wow. Hip Hip Hooray for Hollyhocks!

Holly hocks are my favorite. I can see some blooms now and can hardly wait........

Hi everyone I planted my Hollyhock roots yesterday and now just wait to see if I planted them right or upside down?? It is really hard to tell because there were "roots" all over them. They were at least 6-8 inches long and the guide that came with them said to plant them 1 inch deep???? Anyway hope I planted them right and they are guarenteed to bloom this year (IF planted per directions) so I will keep you posted. I am looking forward to a colorfull sight this summer.

Is there any pest you can think of that would eat HUGE holes in my hollyhock leaves? This is the first year I have seen that ... big chunks out of the edges and in the center too ... I haven't seen any caterpillers yet and can't imagine what could be doing that -- we are having a run of heavy rain almost every day ...

I am in zone 3a and we spread the seeds in the fall and now I am pulling them out of my grass and they have taken over the borders and block my other flowers. They are beautful up against house. Anyone want seeds from MT?

:) My wintersowing of these seeds was very sucessful. I've been sharing too. I'm sure they will not bloom for me till next year, but I'm fine with that :)

Susan

jg-

what color? just kidding ~ I have lots of seeds, I just don't plant them. How does one 'wintersow'?

xxxxxxx,
Carrie

Ooooooohhhhhh boy Carrie! There is a whole entire forum on Daves devoted to it!! Go check it out! :) I loved it!!

Susan

I also planted Hollyhock Roots, but on May 12 in Zone 5. Almost one month later and I see no signs. I also wonder if I planted them correctly...I planted them horizontally about...although it said one inch I went 1-2" because the soil is very light potting soil. Has anyone else had any luck with Hollyhock Roots? I hope to see blooms this first year as well.

crockny:

the pests that are eating holes in your leaves are most likely japanese beetles. DON'T buy the "traps" that are sold in stores as they will attract more of the jb's. I got tired of the "lacy" leaves and tore out all of my "black" (deep burgundy and deep purple undertones) hhs but I miss the beautiful blooms so I've started more plants. I have them started by our wire mesh fence so can keep them from falling over by tying twine around the plants and securing to the fence. I have another plant, malva zebrina (sometimes referred to as "mini-hh") that reseeds so they will be in front of the tall hh's. For reasons unknown the jb's don't eat the malva's leaves. Just a "funny" note: I bought seeds to start the malva z's but never used them cause I "inherited" the plant(s) from my next-door neighbor who inherited them from her neighbor and last year I gave plants/seeds to my other neighbor! Very PROLIFIC plant but very pretty flowers (got the seeds that I never used from Swallowtail Garden Seeds...)!

Actually it was the gypsy moth larva eating my leaves ... they were so small at first I hardly saw them and couldn't believe they could eat such big holes ... boy was I wrong!

Mini, I sow my hollyhocks starting in February here, stagger them every couple weeks so they're blooming a long time. You have a long growing season like we do so they will bloom the first year and reseed. I start them in the ground.

This one is blooming now, which is kind of strange because I've never had one bloom when it's this hot. It has some leaf miners and red spider, but not bad.

It is about time I got back with everyone here. I have been in the hospital a few times since talking to all of you but hope to be better soon. The Hollyhock roots that I planted did beautiful this summer and in fact some are still blooming even though it is in the 40's at night now but in the 60's-70 during the day. I have harvested some of the seeds but like last year many of them have fallen on the ground and if they do as they did this year I should have nice Hollyhocks again next summer. It gets pretty cold here (in the teens) during the winter so dont expect that they will be blooming much longer. I am going to plant the seeds that I harvested next to my house now and see if I get Hollyhocks next year. I have not had any problem with bugs except the kind that bite me so hope I can continue to be lucky on that score.

Hope you're feeling better Robinrt.

I'm sure your Hollyhocks will be beautiful!
I found some black H seeds and hope they bloom, that would be such an unusual color in the garden.

flygirl where did you get the black hollyhock seeds. Did you buy them somewhere? I would love to get some for my garden too. Let me know where you got them.

Robin, here's where I got them

http://summerhillseeds.com/alcea-hollyhock-black-currant-whirl-p-244.html?osCsid=77155d1d7ec25bde72f8a846e7adbdd0

This message was edited May 30, 2010 7:56 PM

Robin:

I have black hollyhock seeds from these if you want them for SASE ...

Sharron

This Spring will be first time planting "Hocks". I guess I'll just sow the seeds outside. I noticed nobody from FL gave any tips. P.S. All you "Hock" lovers from New England, hello! Moved down here from RI last year.
Gail

LD, I direct seed them in the garden starting in Feb. here, and I stagger them about every 2 weeks so they bloom for a long time. You could try some in pots inside and some outside, they seem to take easily outside.

crockny
Yes I do indeed want some of those seeds. How can I get them?? Send me a Dmail if you can. I usually check my info most every morning early before getting ready for work. Those Hollyhocks are really beautiful. I had a bronze color one year but never saw it again and don't know how I got it in the first place. I harvested all the seeds I could get but many had already dropped on the ground while I was in the Hospital and so they are already up a good foot tall and don't know what to do about them because it is very cold at night down to 34 degrees and then in the late 60's to 70's during the day . Anyone know what I should do about them? I will plan on sowing my seeds around February.

Robin:

Don't know how it works in your zone -- in mine any seedlings I have coming up go dormant and then come up and bloom the next year ...

I will post my address in my journal (if I can figure out how!) and you can send me a SASBE for the black hollyhock seeds -- put in a note saying what you want because I have other people asking for different hollyhocks!

Crockny,
I am embarrased to admit that I do not know what SASBE is . I really am a novice at all of this computer stuff and only know a very little about DMail so please let me know what to do to send a SASBE. I really do want some of those black Hollyhock seeds.

I will d-mail you ...

well, now that I have read this thread, I am going to try hollyhocks. I don't have full sun hardly anywhere on my property, but I do have some areas that have about 3/4 sun. I will post my results next year. By the way, does anyone know the poem, "Hollyhocks by the kitchen door?"

I planted seeds with my x h and they grew 2 years later most of them and some bloomed the first year immediatly but real short. I go over to his house now and steal his seeds when i pick up my son and i am about to jack the scales off the bulbs i planted. i may or may not ask him. He won`t care but his girlfriend may/

LOL XH are only worthwhile as sperm donors. GOOD husbands come along once in a lifetime, and I'm hanging on to mine.

xxxx, Carrie

me 2 sister and my x`s gardens that i planted

Ouch!! 11!! Hotter than GA asphalt in the dead of summer I'm sure..

Too funny!! You wild woman.. you get those seeds and whatever else you can high tail out if there and tell him and his girlfriend your taking care of "their" garden when you do it!
:)
Susan

rotfl

I wouldn't know about Ga asphalt, but... it gives me a great deal of pleasure to see my XH admiring/imitating our yard/garden that DH and I have created in the house he (XH) and I once shared. We have a thick border of daylilies between us and the street. He (XH) drools over it everytime he comes to get the kids. They can't get daylilies to grow at her house. heh, heh, heh!