Hollyhocks?

Have any of you grown the malva (?) hollyhock as a perennial w/ success? and while I have your ear (eyes) is there a perennial plant with purplish foliage for my zone?

I have hollyhocks, I don't know what they are. They were here when we moved in and appear to reseed and come back on their own.

Gwendalou

Hi anastatia, I have one that was sold as a Hollyhock but is a smaller single version. I found out later it really is a Malva I guess. They reseed like crazy. I give them away and tell people to get ready for a couple hundred next year. ;-) It's light and hot pink stripes and really pretty.

so they are really not perennials in PNW but fantastic reseeders.

Oh, now I know what you mean by malva. No, mine are not malvas. Mine are the hollyhocks on the tall single stems. They are biennials but they reseed every year so there is always something coming up.

Gwendalou

Well I finally found what I think is mine. It's a Malva sylvestris 'Zebrina' High Mallow. Whew! Here's a website where you can read up on it and a picture. Hope this helps. I'll have to read it again too - still not sure if it's a perennial or an annual.

oops - further research reveals I have no idea what I'm talking about. Carry on! I will not jump in so fast next time! LOL!

This message was edited Apr 13, 2006 11:17 AM

If they re-seed then you could have more plants every year? right? Sue_WA, do not let lack of knowledge or facts deter you. . . .it never has me! Just jump in and wax eloquently.

I had a kazillion of 'em for a while but they seem to have slowed down a bit. But still plenty there. Yah Sue_Wa it hasn't slowed me down either - in fact I may have jumped in too soon this time as now I think the big hollyhocks are called Malva too. For some reason I thought they were mallow. Guess that's why I'm here - to learn! I've only had them 1 year so I'll have to wait and see if they come back.

LOL I've never let a lack of knowledge dissuade me from giving my 2 cents.

Here's a photo of some of our hollyhocks.

Yes, they do seem to increase, but not by too much. We haven't even lived here two years yet, so I'm still learning what's what. I think hollyhocks aren't the easiest things to grow, so the fact that they reseed isn't a 'probem.' Plus, they'd be easy to pull out if you had too many. (Too many hollyhocks? I've never heard of such a thing!)

Gwendalouy

I've got a south-facing Malva Hollyhock. It came back last year and started re-seeding with little ones coming up around it. I haven't yet checked to see if it's coming back this year.

They seem pretty hardy -- I've seen them growing wild on the side of the road in the Seattle's south industrial zone (1st Ave S / Design District).

Gwendalou, I agree...I don't think one can have too many hollyhocks. ;-)

Gwen I love that holly hock, gorgeous, I think I like the singles better than the doubles.

Hollyhocks will cross pollinate and if you have several kinds you can't say with a certainty what color your new seedling will be.

Mallows like zebrina mallow is different than hollyhocks, Anastastia. They too reseed and can become almost weedy.

I got all my hollyhocks by picking lots of seed pods everywhere I go. You know like yard sales Drs. clnic. Is that steeling? Oops I guess I'm guilty, I figured no one would miss a seed pod here and there. I have to tie mine up cuz we have a lot of wind but it seems they return every year in the exact same place pluss new babies. I haven't yanked any yet? I love them. But I do have trouble keeping Delpheneiums(sp) I just love them and never seem to be ably to winter them even tho it says there hardy to my zone. 5-6. Debbie

My delphiniums didn't do very well this past winter, Happy. I only have a couple coming back so am kind of disappointed. I enjoy seeing them in the back of the garden beds.
Carol

Hi daisy, so it's not just me? I'm so glad to hear that. I know I don't have the greenest thumb but I so want them to do well. My mom dug one up from her house (over by msantique) and gave it to me and I'm waiting to see if it going to come back. I have totally babied it along. The other thing I don't do well with is Larkspur and it is so beautiful.
Debbie

I hope to plant some delphinium seeds and put some back into the gardens this year.
Larkspurs are annuals so they won't come back.
I have a bunch of seeds of larkspurs coming up in the flats so am excited to see how they do this year.
Carol

I thought the seeds were hardy enough to reseed themselves without my help. Glad I'm in this forum. Now I've learned again.
Debbie

msantique- welcome to the NW forum! I love that photo of Zebrina and wonder if the seeds I got in a swap labelled only "Zebrina" might yield such a beauty.

Am I the only one who suffers the annual hollyhock rust problem? I grew them for two years and each season would have to strip almost 90% of the leaves due to rust. It could be our cooler climate at a higher elevation, high moisture out here too. Really high the past few days- like 5 inches of rain/hail :( Hollyhocks are gorgeous unless you have 5 ft of bare stalk and a lonely little bloom atop it all.

I did get a couple hollyhocks in a gift exchange that have been foliated since January- unreal out here! I have hopes that they won't suffer from rust and look so forlorn come summer.

Annie, I can't find the picture that I had posted last year of my naked hollyhocks, LOL
My hollyhocks looked so bad but while there were intermingled with dahlias, you couldn't tell later in the season.
Yes, they do rust horribly here in the NW. I guess the figleaf hollyhock don't rust so am growing them to see how they do this year. Will let you know the results later.
Carol

Thank You Poochella! Sorry it took me so long to get back to this. Had my Grandkids all weekend! Whew! I'm always totally whooped after that! I did a Google search - Zebrina Seeds - and that was all that came up. Hopefully that is what you have. As far as rust goes yes, I get it on my Hollyhocks too. I read that it is a common disease for them. So guess we're all doomed to live with it!

Annie, you are hardly alone. I tried Hollyhocks from seed two years running and it both cases ripped them out long before any hint of a flower due to an overwhelming amount of rust on the foliage.The first year I had tried the heirloom black hollyhocks and the second time it was a supposedly rust resistant single mix.

I am trying Double hollyhocks & I have Red-white-pink- & yellow. Does anyone have any Burgendy color or any unuasel
colors. I heard that Double goes back to single hollyhocks after 1 year or is that someone that don't know about hollyhocks.
Jerry.

There are a few plants I keep trying, and keep trying, and keep trying.... and hollyhocks are (is?) one. The rust is so horrible here too, but maybe this year I'll work at keeping them rust free, instead of just letting them be. I don't do a whole lot to my plants except feed them and water them (oh yeah and watch for slugs & earwigs & gophers & deer), but maybe just maybe I'll try hollyhocks again this year. ~~sigh~~

Sanna