This single flowered biennial will burst with 8 colors varying from deep dark red, pink, yellow and white blooms through most of the summer season!

Hollyhocks have been grown in gardens for centuries, their tall spikes of satiny, crepe-textured flowers making a fine display in mid-summer. Best at the back of a sunny border, with something in front to hide their bare lower stems. This strain features  fluffy flowers, in a wide range of pastel shades. Plants usually act as short-lived perennials, but will re-seed themselves for many years. Attractive to both butterflies and hummingbirds.

Sowing and growing instructions

1. Fill a tray with compost and water it well to ensure that it is consistently moist. If you water after sowing, you can wash the seeds about and bunch them together – not what you want.

2. Sow the large seeds individually, spacing about an inch apart on the compost surface, in a grid. Don't push in the seed, as you then won't be able to see each one. If you are distracted, it's all too easy to forget where you've sown and where seeds still need to go. Left on the top, they are clearly visible. When the tray is full, cover lightly with compost.

3. Spaced widely, the seeds can germinate and grow on for a few weeks before you prick them out. This saves you time in the end, rather than simply chucking seed about willy-nilly.

4. Place the tray in a warm and cosy spot to germinate. You don't need light at this stage. I cover seed trays with an empty compost bag – opened out – to keep in warmth and moisture and speed germination. If you do this, after about a week, check trays every morning and night for germination. Once this starts, remove the light-excluding plastic.

5. Hollyhocks take 10-14 days to germinate and then another 3-4 weeks before they're ready for pricking out. If roots are showing at the base of the tray, they're ready to move on.

6. To prick out, handle only the seed leaves, not the stem (which bruises very easily). Get a pencil (or stiff plant label) right under each plant and try to tease out every individual seedling, roots and all.

7. Place each seedling into its own pot of peat-free compost, firm down and water.

8. The ideal spot for growing on has maximum all-round light – ideally, plants should have warm roots but cool tops.

9. Hollyhocks will be ready for planting out in the garden by June, but won't flower well until the following year.

Further details for

Alcea rosea Single Mix

Optimal Growing

Conditions Appearance and

Characteristics

Sun Exposure 

  Full Sun

Soil Type 

  Normal or

  Sandy or

  Clay

Soil pH 

  Neutral or

  Alkaline or

  Acid

Soil Moisture

Care Level 

  Easy Flower Colour 

  Creamy Yellow 

  Deep Pink 

  Light Pink 

  Purple 

  Red 

  Salmon 

  White 

  Yellow

Blooming Time 

  Mid Summer 

  Late Summer

Foliage Color 

  Light Green

Plant Uses & Characteristics 

  Accent: Good Texture/Form 

  Attracts Butterflies 

  Attracts Hummingbirds 

  Border 

  Cut Flower 

  Deer Resistant 

  Drought Tolerant 

  Rabbit Resistant 

  Massed 

  Specimen

Flower Head Size 

  Very Large

Height 

   150-210 cm 

   59-82 inches

Spread 

   30-45 cm 

   12-18 inches

Foot Traffic

   None