Flowers - Hollyhock

Hollyhock is an ever-green perennialThese flowered in June and July. The flowers can be a variety of colours. My garden tends to produce pale colours, but there is a range.

The seedlings appear in summer or autumn. They are low clusters of leaves. The plant over-winters, then starts growing a flower spike in early summer. This has flower buds on it. It gets taller (and taller) and the flowers start opening from the bottom, gradually. This type of flower opening means that the flowers last a long time, as flowers open, blossom, then die, and then the next flowers do the same. They end up looking ridiculous! (But I like that.) Once all flowers have died, leave them until the flower stalk is dead too, and the seeds not only formed, but dried. They may drop of their own accord, or you can rub the seed pod where you want next year's flowers.

I love hollyhocks! Some started in our garden either from a packet of wild flower seed, others were originally a plant from a garden centre. But they've spread.

The plant at various stages:

Leaves in late February

Seedling

Growing

Before flowering

First flowers

Leaf shapes - 1

Leaf shapes - 2

Leaf shapes - 3

In full flower

Needs staking!

Seeding

The clump by the rose bed, as they grew:

The clump in the "wild flower" garden:

The single plant which was later than everything else, and grew tallest:

Close-ups for flowers, showing colour and range of shape:

The bees loved the nectar:

2022 - a very silly hollyhock started growing under the wisteria, and ended up growing through it:

Click on photos for large version.

© Jo Edkins 2020 - Return to Garden index