Alcea, Double Hollyhock, Garden Hollyhock 'Peaches 'n Dreams'

I've grown a number of different types of hollyhocks in the past, carrying on traditions from grandparents and such. 'Peaches and Dreams'...Read More is not your grandparents' variety of hollyhock . . . the flowers are very VERY doubled and HUGE. When they fall from the plant, they still look fresh (at least for a day). Unlike other doubles I've grown in the past, which tended to be a little shorter in stature than the singles, these plants are tall -- I had 5 or 6 plants scattered about the edge of the garden in bloom; none were shorter than 7 feet; most were 8 feet or taller.

I had tried to grow these from seed -- the method I've used to grow other varieties of hollyhocks. I did have trouble with this variety damping off. While 'Appleblossom' and 'Creme de Casis' seedlings in adjoining seed starting cubes did fine. Actually, I tried two years in a row, and finally gave up this year and bought plants from a seller on eBay. They did beautifully.

These plants are breathtaking, statuesque, and beautiful in bloom. I do have one plant that seems inundated with rust spots, but the others, so far, are fighting it. Perhaps this is due to the unusually large amounts of rain and cool temperatures we've been having this year. Nevertheless, I will try to have some of these plants in the garden every year. The effect they create is spectacular (a word I never thought I'd use to describe a hollyhock!).

I'm glad to hear other posters seem to be able to have these as perennials, since they are listed as biennials . . . I do hope mine come back next year!

Sept., 2007--I have memories from the 1950s of the hollyhocks in my grandmother's beautiful gardens. Over the past couple of years, I fe...Read Morelt I wanted to try to grow some myself. I bought Alcea rosea 'Peaches 'n' Dreams' this past May, spent the summer watching it grow, and finally the day came when the first buds opened. What an incredible flower and color! It was worth the wait. Unfortunately, I think our dry summer held it back somewhat. Even so, as of today it's slightly over 6'. I also planted seeds of the older, single-flower kind. I now have a lot of small plants that I hope will return to flower next year. I also intend to open another small garden in the spring just for hollyhocks, including the older kind.

I purchased this hollyhock in a 12 inch plant in 2005...I had 5 ft. tall plants with beautiful flowers the first year. This year, my hol...Read Morelyhocks are 9-10 ft. tall....I kid you not! They are so heavy with flowers that we have them staked, tied and propped up. They were the anchor type plant on our front porch but now have grown so big, we will have to move them next year 'cause we can't see out the front of the porch!

'Peaches 'n Dreams' was recommended to me by another plant collector. I don't know if it was mistakingly labeled at the nursery or if it...Read More reverted, but it ended up blooming single, dark pink and white blooms. I took it out.

My information on this plant says that it is hardy in zones 3-9.