Growing Hollyhocks: A Few Tips About Care and Location

Hollyhocks are a very old fashion perennial flower. You don't need special gardening skills or a green thumb to have a beautiful garden full of this delicate, many colored flower. You do need a lot of space as they will spread. They can grow as tall as 8 feet, so be aware of the area you plan to plant them in. They make great privacy barriers!

Not only are hollyhocks gorgeous, they will attract butterflies and birds to your yard. They also attract bees, so you may have to pay attention when you are watering or weeding the hollyhock bed.

Choosing a Location for Hollyhocks

Don't let the tiny seeds fool you. Hollyhocks can grow to be as tall as 8 feet. Be sure you are not planting them where they will grow up and hide your view, or look unsightly. Envision the plant as it will look as it shoots towards the sun and is full of blooms.

Hollyhocks are best suited at the back of the flower bed or planted against a building or fence. They make a beautiful back drop for shorter, less showy plants. You can even make a circle bed and use the hollyhocks for the very center. They will shoot up like a burst of colored water!

Growing the Hollyhock Seeds

You can purchase hollyhock seeds in tiny paper packets. You'll need patients to get them growing. You can plant the seeds outside in the fall in some areas and they will sprout in the spring. I have had no luck doing this, but others have grown tall healthy hollyhocks using this method.

I prefer to sow the seeds in the early spring, after the fear of frost has gone. It may take a little longer for them to germinate and sprout, but it is my preferred method. If you have room, you can start the seeds inside during the winter months. Transplant the little seedlings to your flower bed when the weather warms up.

You will only need to purchase seeds to start your initial hollyhock bed. The flower blooms will die out in the fall and drop seeds into the bed. Some of these seeds will survive the winter and grow the following year.

Collecting the Hollyhock Seeds

If you want to start a new hollyhock bed, or help your friends start one, you can collect the seeds from your existing flowers. If you plan to collect seeds at the end of the growing season, do not dead head all of the blooms as they die out. Allow the blooms to wither naturally.

Once the bloom is dried, pick it apart and remove the seeds that are nestled inside it. Make sure the seeds are clean and dry before storing them. You can store them in a glass jar with a lid, or in a zip lock bag. The little seeds can then become a brand new Hollyhock garden next year!

If your hollyhocks are becoming too thick after a few years, you can dead head most of the blooms. Dead heading means to pluck the flower after it wilts and completely remove it from the bed to avoid adding more seeds.

Do not dead head and drop it into the bed if you are trying to slow down the hollyhock. You are still adding more seeds and the hollyhock will drop enough on its own to keep your flower garden thriving!