Oh, the hollyhock! When I think of Midwest summer flowers, I think of the hollyhock. It remains a cottage garden favorite planted along with all the others I have written about. At our family home in Milbank, they grew on the south side of the house which was a favorite spot for picture taking; an image of me and my siblings at a young age immediately comes to mind. Also, I can still visualize them along the houses and barns of the farms of Aunt’s and Uncle’s we visited in the summer. Did you know a hollyhock bloom and bud make an excellent replica of a lady in a colorful ball gown? Making these from hollyhocks is an excellent activity for children in hot summer months with images found online.
Also known as Alcea, the hollyhock, is a genus of about 60 species of flowering plants in the mallow Malvaceae family along with cotton, mallow and okra. These flower and plant groups always seem to have unusual family members; kind of like human families I guess! They are annual, biennial or perennial plants so no wonder I have been confused about their blooming patterns. As short lived perennials (usually biennials), they only flower 2-3 years so their self-seeding ability is important to keep an established bed blooming. During the Victorian era hollyhocks symbolized ambition and fertility in the language of flowers. The historic city of Kyoto, Japan even holds an annual Hollyhock Festival.
Hollyhocks often grow 3-8 feet tall with 10 plus blooms along their stalk coming in a wide range of colors including white, cream, yellow, pink, red, purple and almost black. They have interesting names that come in both single and double flowering varieties with the double variety often requiring staking. Their large notched leaves are round soft globes that mimic their flowers. Established plants should be planted in moist rich soil in the sun 2-3 feet apart but I have always grown them from seed in shallow soil. They can also benefit from a bit of fertilizer and compost in the spring. This year, I sowed a few too many in each spot and have greens leaves galore so we will see how many bloom next year as the first year their efforts are put into foliage and energy storage. Harvesting the dried circular fruit pods and unearthing all the little round black and white seeds packed upright in circular sections is always a joy. Due to their height they look best along a fence, a wall, at the back of a flower garden or camouflaging an unsightly yard item like the electrical box I have mine planted around. They also seem to flower well without a lot of water which is a good thing this summer. They support painted lady butterflies serving as host plants for caterpillars plus, they often attract bees and hummingbirds. They have some natural pests; flea beetles, cutworms, aphids and capsid bugs as well as a fungus called hollyhock rust. The latter is kept at bay by watering from below, treating with a fungicide and ensuring good air circulation around the plants. In conclusion, I think they are an excellent flower for the beginning gardener in this part of the country. Enjoy the blooms while they last!