Hollyhocks Botanical Name: Alcea rosea
- Family
- Malvaceae
- Plant Type
- Short Lived Perennial/Annual (seed is viable and will flower in the first year).
- Size (HxW)
- 'Spring Celebrities': 30-80cm x 25-35cm. 'The Watchman'/Black: 1-2m x 40-50cm
- Depth & Spacing
- Plant at the same depth as in the pot and spread roots evenly below the surface. Space 25-50cm apart.
- Soil
- Moderately fertile to humus rich, well drained soil. In poor or clay soils, organic matter should be dug through prior to planting to give them best growth.
- Aspect
- Full sun to semi shade
- Climate
- Cool to Mediterranean. While quite resistant, they can be prone to rust disease in humid conditions.
- Frost
- Hardy
- Water
- Water to establish and keep moist in active growth. They don’t like to be cold and wet.
- Fertiliser
- Apply a well balanced fertiliser in spring and summer.
- Flowering Time
- Summer to autumn. Allow seeds to drop on the last blooms of the season and the clump will continue for many years.
- After Flower Care
- The flowers open from the bottom of the stem to the top. So some seed pods may ripen before the blooms have finished, this allows you to have your cake and eat it too! Allow the flower stem to finish blooming and harvest the bottom seeds, then prune the flowering stem off at the base, this will encourage the plant to grow again next season, plus you can plant the seeds. If you let the whole lot go to seed then the plant tends to exhaust itself.
- Notes
- ‘Spring Celebrities’ are suitable for growing in containers. While the plants have strong rust resistance, it is a good idea to keep an eye out for it, treat and destroy any affected foliage. Removing weeds and allowing a bit of space for good air flow can help with prevention.
