Cramming hollyhock seeds

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gk1153 Paris, IL(Zone 6a) Jun 12, 2008

I've recently purchased ten hollyhock, Alcea Rosea, seeds and am wanting to plant them between two grain bins. The bins are aligned north and south so the plants will get full sun during most of the day. There is 10 feet between the bins. Planting recommendations call for 2 to 3 feet spacing. I'm thinking to plant eight of them a foot apart. Good or bad idea?

Gary

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Jun 12, 2008

It's not necessarily bad to plant them that close, typically not all your seeds will germinate so you'll end up with OK spacing because of the seeds that don't make it. But if they all do germinate, you'll want to thin out the seedlings later on so that you end up with the proper spacing. Some hollyhocks are prone to rust and having poor air circulation because of crowded plants will not help. I'd also check if now is the appropriate time to plant these--it strikes me as being a little late but maybe in your area it's not.

Post #5092258
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gk1153 Paris, IL(Zone 6a) Jun 12, 2008

Thanks for your reply. Perhaps I should wait a couple months and then start them indoors; transplanting them outside in late September. That will allow me to see how many seeds germinate and give me time to prepare a place for the extras.

Planting time recommended March to June. "To" is the word I'm trying to ignore. LOL

Post #5094233
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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Jun 13, 2008

Well then you should be OK, it's still June after all! Out here it's not the best time of year to start seeds, but your climate's different and if the packet says June is OK then I don't see any reason not to.

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WeeNel Ayrshire Scotland, United Kingdom Jun 13, 2008

You can start them off in pots now, then still transplant them outdoors in September if you want, the spacing is really just a guide anyway, I always cram my borders much closer than the directions as I want a more mature looking border faster, but then after 4/5 years I empty the borders of my perennial plants and split them up as they have become too over crowded, so it's swings and round-a-bouts what way you go and how much work you want to go for over the years, Hollyhocks are classed as short lived perennials and normally after about 3 years they are weak and tired looking so you either start off more seeds or take root cuttings from them, both are easy to do. you will have to stake the plants as they grow really tall and fall over with the sheer weight of the flower spikes or the wind rocks them loose from the soil, Good Luck. WeeNel.

Post #5096435
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trioadastra Woodbury, MN(Zone 4a) Jun 13, 2008

You could also stagger them in 2 rows to help w/ the spacing issue. They also reseed like mad, so keep that in mind. I let a few of the seedlings go so they can replace the ones that flowered themselves to death.

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