What can i plant with hollyhocks?

Hollyhocks will happily grow alongside any plants that match their cultural requirements of full sun and very well-drained soil. Set yarrow, bellflowers and daisies in front of hollyhocks—they’ll never compete because they like dry soil. Tall cactus zinnias, marigolds and sunflowers share hollyhock’s love of sunshine.

What plants go well with hollyhock?

Hollyhocks are beautiful cottage garden plants, so they pair well with many perennials and shrubs in those types of gardens. Roses, rose mallow, tall garden phlox, delphiniums, peonies, ornamental grasses and foxgloves are just some of the plants that can be grouped with hollyhocks in the garden.

Where is the best place to plant hollyhocks?

Plant in a well-draining area with full sun to partial shade. Due to their height, protect from damaging winds and provide support such as a fence, wall, trellis or stake. Hollyhocks will readily self-seed if left to their own devices, so locate them in an area where this won’t be a nuisance.

How close together should I plant hollyhocks?

Water well to eliminate air pockets that may form around the roots. Plant Spacing: Eighteen inches apart. If planted in rows, space rows at least 3 feet apart.

What do hollyhocks attract?

Hollyhocks attract birds, butterflies and bees. They are biennials, which means that they grow leaves during their first year and bloom the second year before going to seed and dying.

Can I grow sunflowers and hollyhocks together?

Hollyhocks will happily grow alongside any plants that match their cultural requirements of full sun and very well-drained soil. Set yarrow, bellflowers and daisies in front of hollyhocks—they’ll never compete because they like dry soil. Tall cactus zinnias, marigolds and sunflowers share hollyhock’s love of sunshine.


Should hollyhocks be cut down after flowering?

No pruning is required, just remove any leaves that are heavily infected with rust disease through the summer and cut down the flower spikes when the flowers have faded. Hollyhocks are easy to grow from seed and will readily self-seed in your garden.

Do hollyhocks come up every year?

They appear to be perennials as they do come back year after year but they are actually biennials which self-seed prolifically. Being a biennial means that it is often best to start new Hollyhocks in August or September so that they will then bloom the following summer.

How do you get hollyhocks to bloom in the first year?

To force biennial hollyhocks to flower the first year, treat them with gibberellic acid, a flower inducer that takes the place of a cold period. Planting them in fall may also induce hollyhocks to bloom the first year.

Do hollyhocks come back every year?

Hollyhocks are biennial or short-lived perennials. In the first year they put on root and foliage growth and in the second they flower, set seed and then die.

Are hollyhocks invasive?

Alcea rosea (Hollyhock) is listed in the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.

What month do you plant hollyhock seeds?

The recommended planting time is fall. If you plant seeds in the fall, hollyhocks have a good chance of blossoming in the next year. If you plant the seeds in the spring, you may have to wait a full year before you see blooms.

Can hollyhocks grow in shade?

Hollyhocks are not fussy and survive in many spots but do best in soil that has been amended with compost. They do not like dry soil. With adequate moisture and good drainage, hollyhocks can thrive in full sun or partial shade. Try them in a few different spots in your yard and see where they are happiest.

Do hollyhocks attract hummingbirds?

The fast-growing hollyhock can reach up to 8 feet in height, and its blooms also attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

What do hollyhocks symbolize?

Hollyhocks symbolize the circle of life, ambition, fertility, and abundance. Traditionally these flowers have been planted near the front door to welcome in prosperity to the home.

Can hollyhocks be transplanted?

Transplant seedlings any time during spring or in early fall. If you’re transplanting an established hollyhock, wait until after it finishes blooming and cut the stalk to within 5 or 6 inches of the soil. Choose a sunny site that is sheltered from high winds to keep the taller hollyhocks from snapping or falling over.

What do you plant marigolds with?

What to Plant with Marigolds

  • Cucumbers.
  • Melons.
  • Eggplants.
  • Squash.
  • Potatoes.
  • Lettuce.
  • Pumpkins.
  • Tomatoes.

Are marigolds good companion plants?

Marigolds make good companion plants for potatoes, tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, aubergines, squash, melons, asparagus, sweet corn, chillies and peppers. Cabbages are adversely effected by marigolds and yet, they repel cabbage white butterflies and cabbage moths.

What can you plant with zucchini?

Examples of good companion plants to grow well with zucchini plants include:

  • Beans. Beans fix nitrogen levels in soil to balance the pH level.
  • Borage. Borage is a flower that not only attracts beneficial insects like bees, but can deter pest worms from your zucchini.
  • Dill. …
  • Garlic. …
  • Marigolds. …
  • Mint. …
  • Nasturtiums. …
  • Oregano.

How do you winterize hollyhocks?

Prune the leaves and stems back to 6 inches (15 cm.) from the ground in fall. The hollyhocks then need a layer of organic material over the root zone to protect them from freezing. Use straw, compost, leaf litter or mulch.

How deep do hollyhock roots go?

The hole should be wider than the roots and deep enough to encourage the long taproot of bare root hollyhock plants to easily grow downward. When planting, the taproot should point downward. Don’t plant too deeply though, just a couple inches (5 cm.) below the soil.

Do hollyhocks reseed themselves?

Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) are ornamental flowering plants that may be either biennial or short-lived perennial with flowers in shades of pink, white, yellow, and red. Not only are hollyhocks easy to grow from seed, but they’ll even reseed themselves each year after your initial planting.

How many years do hollyhocks last?

First of all, hollyhocks are a short lived perennial. This means that most varieties will only live two to three years. Their lifespan can be extended some by removing growing hollyhock flowers as soon as they fade.

Are hollyhocks poisonous to dogs?

Hollyhocks. These flowers are also non-poisonous to dogs or cats, but you need to be careful about the stems and leaves as they may have resin or fiber which may cause some skin allergies.

Do slugs eat hollyhocks?

The most effective thing to do is replace slug-prone plants, such as clematis, delphiniums, doronicums, hollyhocks, hostas, hyacinths, ligularia, lilies, lupins, pansies, primulas and tulips with slug-resistant plants including acanthus, achillea, alchemilla, agapanthus, astilbe, astrantia, crocosmia, digitalis, …

How long does it take for hollyhocks to grow from seed?

Sow hollyhock seeds in a cold frame or protected seedbed in the early summer. In rows 6 inches apart, just press seeds into the soil. Keep moist and protect from the sun. Seedlings emerge in 12-21 days.

Will deer eat hollyhocks?

A classic cottage garden favorite, hollyhock produces towers of gorgeous flowers from mid- to late summer. … The plants may seed themselves and will take two summers to mature enough to flower. Hollyhock is relatively deer resistant.

How tall do hollyhocks get the first year?

Alcea rosea hybrids

The results have been extraordinary – the introduction of the first true perennial, single hollyhock series. Bloom is from late spring through early fall. Plants will flower the first year when started early and grow to up to 5-6 ft. tall and 5 ft.

Are there different varieties of hollyhocks?

For hollyhock flowers, you have a variety of colors to choose from, such as white, pink, red, yellow, and maroon. Moreover, the holding stalks range from 6 to 9 feet. Thus, consider your color preferences as well as your space and height needs before opting for seeds.

Why are my hollyhocks falling over?

When your hollyhock is too tall, it can flop over or look out of scale with the rest of the garden. Cutting the flower stems down by half when they are 18 inches tall and again before they bloom — when tall varieties are 3 feet tall — produces stockier flower stems.

Why are my hollyhocks not blooming?

Sounds like the hollyhocks are getting either too much fertilizer some how (height and flowers aborting0 or they are getting botrytis (a disease that often infects flowers and flower buds).

What flower is similar to hollyhock?

Similar Flowers

Petunia (petunia) and annual tree mallow (Lavatera trimestris) produce profuse, brightly colored blooms with thin petals that will remind you of hollyhocks. Mallow is a shrub with multiple stems of flowers and reaches 3 to 6 feet tall.

Is Rose of Sharon the same as hollyhock?

What is the difference between hollyhocks and rose of Sharon? … Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) are a biennial (some refer to them as a short-lived perennial) flowering plant, Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is a late blooming summer shrub. Rose of Sharon is also known as Shrub Althaea.

What is the difference between hollyhock and mallow?

Marsh mallow is an herbaceous perennial and grows to a height of 2-5 feet with soft, velvety, and irregularly serrated leaves. Its flowers form clusters at leaf axil. Whereas the herbaceous hollyhock is a biennial or short-lived perennial that becomes 4-8′ tall.

Can I plant hollyhocks in June?

You can plant hollyhocks from seed now, in the late summer, and you may get blooms next summer. Or wait until late winter or early spring and start transplants indoors. Or, you can plant them outside from seed later next spring. If you wait to plant until next year, you’ll most likely have to wait a year for blooms.

When can you scatter hollyhock seeds?

when to plant hollyhocks

The best time to sow hollyhock seeds undercover is April and May. You can sow the seeds directly outdoors in May and June. If you have bought hollyhocks as plants in pots or raised them from seed, they can be planted out May to July. They flower the following year after planting.

Can I plant hollyhock seeds in fall?

What is the best time to plant hollyhock seeds? Hollyhock seeds can be sown outdoors in either pots or in seedbeds in late summer. In the fall, before the ground freezes, or in the spring after the ground has thawed, move the plants to a permanent location in the garden.

Can hollyhocks grow in hot climates?

Hollyhocks can typically grow in temperatures ranging from 55 degrees Fahrenheit to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If you live in a climate with near-freezing or freezing winter temperatures, mulch the soil around your hollyhocks to insulate dormant roots.

What is a hummingbird’s favorite flower?

Brightly-colored flowers that are tubular hold the most nectar, and are particularly attractive to hummingbirds. These include perennials such as bee balms, columbines, daylilies, and lupines, biennials such as foxgloves and hollyhocks, and many annuals, including cleomes, impatiens, and petunias.

What is a butterfly’s favorite flower?

For butterflies, Joe-Pye weed, ironweed, yellow coneflowers, goldenrod, and brightly-hued asters are nectar-filled favorites. See our full butterfly plant list below.

What is the flower that looks like a hummingbird?

But have you ever heard of a plant that actually looks like a hummingbird? The green birdflower, scientifically known as Crotalaria cunninghamii is just that.

What is the saddest flower?

What flower represents depression? Lilies are the most well known “flower of sadness”. However, while also being associated with funerals and deaths, they also mean the restoration of innocence to the souls of the dead.

What flower means death?

Chrysanthemum: In America, this gorgeous flower has many meanings, but it is often used as an expression of support or an encouragement to “get well soon.” In many countries in Europe, the chrysanthemum is placed on graves and viewed as a symbol of death.

What’s another name for hollyhocks?

Other Name(s): Alcea rosea, Alcée Rose, Althaea ficifolia, Althaea rosea, Althea Rose, Hollyhock Flower, Malva, Malva Flower, Malvae Arboreae Flos, Passerose, Rose Mallow, Rose de Mer, Rose Papale, Rose Trémi&amp,egrave,re.