Beautiful, beautiful!! I'm really loving the pictures. I had seedlings grow in the garden again, and I just happened to spread and turn under horse manure last fall. I have the largest leaves I've ever seen, but no blooms yet.
I haven't even had time to unload the camera, but I did take pictures.
Hollyhock photos anyone?
Not sure if this is a hollyhock or mallow. Either way it is very pretty!
Ooo - now *that* is VERY pretty,
Beahive, it's beautiful!
BennysPlace, another gorgeous pink! It's watermelony. Speaking of, it's time for the fruit stands to sell them. I can't wait!!
I really need to unload the camera. My hhocks were only pink and yellow, but a lot of seedlings are growing. Next year I'll have blooms to share.
So, I have a question for all you cottage garden members growing hollyhocks ---- I have seen a lot of beautiful blooms pictured here. Would you all be interested in setting up a seed swap so we can all try some of the varieties pictured here? I don't know how it would work but would anyone be interested in this?
If I get some unique blooms I would. It might be next year tho.
Hi Billy,
Thank you for the compliments on my flower. No worries. This was just a thought that came to my head. I love all the colours and what a cool way to add more varieties!
I have a bunch of hollhocks which have gone to seed already. I could collect them and put them aside. I am guessing if folks wanted to do this, they could send a SASE to the person whose hollyhocks they are interested in.
Any other thoughts out there?
Hi Benny,
It is a good idea. I see neater HH's than I have, so I'd like to have something nice to offer back. I think a few seeds will find their way into the mail tho :o)
Sally
I have LOTS of HH seeds out there, and some really great colors this year. Does anyone know if it's better to cut the stems and bring them indoors to dry, or leave them be? Will these F1 seeds be the same blossom color as the pod parent?
If I understand the genetics correctly, Jax, you have a one-in-four (or 25%) chance of getting the same flower, but that chance will become much smaller with each successive generation.
I would love to get in on a swap for some of the other beauties here. I have lots of Fig leaf "Happy lights" seeds.
Dee
I have been closely following all these wonderful photos. I have moved to a new place, and I am starting a huge number of varieties to bloom next year. Where I lived before now, I only had these insipid almost transparent ivory colored ones which were not even large. Now I have Old Barnyard, Country Cottage Peach, Happy Lights, Indian Springs, Double reds, maroon, yellow, bright pink, pink, violet, white, etc. and I think I have one or two Russian yellow. Of course, none of these will bloom until next year, but I intend to plant the single color ones separately so that they don't cross pollinate.
I think I will be in a position to trade around the end of July- most hollyhocks here are just about finished blooming.
What is the diff. b/t a hollyhock and a mallow? I thought they were the same, but BeaHive mentioned a difference. How can you tell?
When I plant doubles they are true to the seed package the first year and then revert to singles. I wonder how far apart one would have to plant them so they didn't cross pollenate?
I think what that means is they're F1 hybrids as well. I don't think it is cross-pollination, I think it's more like one parent was double, one was single - out of four seeds you probably only get one that is double... have you ever gotten *any* that were double out of the next batch of seeds? If not, it might be even more complicated of a cross. Like two singles that combine to make a double - then none of the kids would be a double.
I tried the picture below - maybe that will help a little ... ?
Always gotten singles, lovely but not like the parent. Interesting though! Thanks for that little diagram.
Aside from my drab hollyhocks before, I don't think I have ever seen an ugly hollyhock! However, those doubles like Appleblossom and Peaches and Cream at T&M surely are beautiful. If mine turn to singles, I may have to start new double hollyhocks every year to keep them coming on too. But this was my year of Hollyhock Mania. I probably won't ever try some many kinds again.
One lady here must have planted one rose single hollyhock 25 years ago. Now it is a spectacular clump when it blooms, but they are the only ones she has.
Well, the flowers sure were pretty but they're past they're prime now. I cut them down a few days ago. This is what the Japanese beetles and hollyhock rust do around here. The rust this year wasn't nearly as bad as last year though. Lots of healthy seedlings for next year!
Poor thing!
Thanks Benny. I'd be happy to trade or share seeds for postage. I have 15-20 colors here and was planning on labeling the plants by color tomorrow.
early_bloomer
Yikes! I intended to label the stalks by color last week, and since the W/E, the rain has knocked off most of my blossoms! I'm going to have to use my pictures to match up some colors.
Can we divide the roots? I never tried! That would insure the same colors.
My peach single is still adding height. I can't reach it at all- it must be 8' by now and still blooming!
I love this thread! What beauties everyone has. My hollyhocks have passed their bloom period, but I don't know if they're finished making seeds. This is my first year with them. Now they look pretty bad with the rust and all. Is it alright for me to cut them down, or do I have to wait until the seeds drop? What does everyone else do with their hollyhocks after they start getting tired at the end of the season?
Harper
I don't think Holly hocks are the type of plant you can divide, Jax - they don't form new plants at the base that I've ever seen of - ???
I cut mine down to the ground and they send up more branches and bloom again for me in the Fall. My season is long though, so I don't know if they will bloom twice a season for you. In the fall after that second bloom I cut them back and they come back the next spring for me too.
I guess I could try. This ridiculous peach HH I keep talking about is sprouting from a basal leaf mass ea. year. I'd probably kill the darn thing! Better to save seeds.
Harper, I am one for leaving the stalks until they are 100% brown, dry and disgusting. Believe me, I would LOVE to cut them. This year, we have had soaking rains, so they aren't drying out thoroughly; I'm worried they would mold if I brought them indoors. Somebody, contradict me! I want to cut the dead stalks!
Mine are in the front in a very high profile place. Sigh...
Don't worry - everyone is looking at your zinnias - Nice!
He he, thanks, but that's Monarda and don't look too closely, it's looking tired too. Behind them, however, is Marigold, montauk daisies, sedum and russian sage going crazy!
Ooops! Ah well, new contacts!
single pink with my triumphator lilies earlier. Not looking so glorious now lol.
lavender4ever, such a pretty combination! Your lilies are gorgeous.
Hey hollyhock lovers, I picked seeds that had brown pods and planted them the next day. Should I have dried them more before planting? I read 10 days to germinate. Is that about right? I haven't started any in quite a while and don't remember.
They won't sprout until next spring. They need a period of chilling (i. e. winter). If the less-than-dry seeds are sitting in wet soil, they may rot. Also, they may not flower until the 2nd year, as most hollyhocks are biennials.
I usually leave mine to self-sow, that is, leave the pods on the canes until they burst on their own. I may collect some at this point and put them in a paper lunch bag. You can scatter these wherever you want them to grow, and let Nature to the work, or you can winter sow in containers, or put them in the fridge and plant them in the spring. :0)
As a incurable seed-snatcher, I buy paper lunch bags. I cut the seed pods/flowers of whatever plant goes to seed directly into the bag, than I write the name of the plant on the bag, and stash it for next year. If it's a perennial/biennial that I might want to trade, I'll put the bag in my crisper. If I want to winter sow it, I just put the bag in a shoe box marked "seeds". The bags will let any moisture in the seeds escape w/o rot.
I just planted single black hollyhocks from a dry seed pod right off the plant. I put them under lights, and they came up in three or four days. Today, I am going to transplant them all into a community pot, a one gallon pot, to allow them to grow on to transplant size in the fall.
Good to hear. I thought I had planted them now and then thinned them out to bloom next summer. They were traveling from their alloted space and needed some correction.
I always read they need cool and don't bloom the first year. But I have seedlings that dropped this summer coming up all over the place and I am pulling most out. 2 had bloomed so I left them a few weeks until my cosmos started to bloom.
Alas, I only had a yellow and pink bloom this year. I have a few plants growing that will bloom next year. Can't wait to see what I get.
This grew in the garden and I left it. The leaves are huge!!
Hey folks, they are coming up. I knew I had planted them right after they produced seed and had flowers the next summer. Sometimes I moved the young plants in the spring and sometimes they were planted on site. These are on site and will be thinned out. I remove the old plants___cut them down at least___ right after flowering to clean up the bed. I limit my patch to 30 plants, but you often wonder if you are removing all of one color when you thin. I guess it's the luck of the draw!!