Flowering spires piercing the sky Hollyhocks (Hollyhocks)

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	Hollyhocks
Date:	01/02/03 (2034 review reads)
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Advantages: wonderfull

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Holly hocks ,Alcea

This is one of my favourite cottage garden plants I have a beautiful red one by my sitting room window at the front of the house. There is a pink one too but I prefer the dark red one. Seeing it today made me think I would write an op about it. (This category was requested last summer has just been created along with several others I requested last summer, thanks Katie)

Holly hocks came to Europe from china in the 16th century

Hollyhocks are a short-lived perennial they can grow to a height of6 – 9 foot tall (2-3 metres)
A hairy stem covered with flowers grows up towering into the sky. The first year of growth produces no flower. It flowers from June to September/October
The stem produces large rough 5-7 lobed leaves up its height, in the axils of the leaves (where the leaves join the stem) a flower is produced.
The flowers are up to 10 cm (4inches) in diameter can be either single or double. As I say my favourite colour is the dark red, but the colours can be purple, pink, white or yellow. I don’t like the yellow ones.
This is a glorious plant reminding me of my childhood playing in the garden, or a summers day picnic’s on the lawn, oh the memories writing about holly hocks, that’s nice all happy ones. Probably romanticised but memories often are.

Seed for hollyhocks can be bought in garden centre’s I think I have even seen it in Tesco’s ! But the best way is to cadge some from a friend who has a hollyhock the flowers produce plenty of seeds, in fact they self seed in my garden my original 1 has increases to about 6.The year old plant can be bought from garden centre’s if you are too impatient to wait 2 years for the flower from seeds

Sow the seed in spring - summer probably best in a seed tray or a pot but can be sown in situ, just remember where you put it.
Happy gardening and summer days ( not really very far away now(ok I know its sn
owing but I can dream ))enjoy your Hollyhocks.
Thank you for reading--Mary

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