Hollyhock Henry Viii Pink

A change from the usual powderpuffs! Baby pink single flowers on quite tall plants are both refreshing and easily identified above other plants.

How to Grow Hollyhock from Seed

An old fashioned cottage garden favourite, loved by bees and butterflies, Hollyhocks send up Jack-and-the-Beanstalk tall stems, some varieties reaching 8 feet in height, covered in beautiful wide open blooms. Hollyhocks are easy to grow from seed and readily self-set. As biennials they produce foliage during the first year and flower in the second year.

Ideal against a fence or hedge at the back of a sunny border, allow about 12 inches between plants and try to ensure adequate airflow around the plants to help prevent rust. Hollyhocks don’t usually require staking but may appreciate a little natural support.

Hollyhocks can be sown from January to May, or during September for over-wintering.

Sow Hollyhock seeds into moist compost using individual 3 inch pots, allowing 2 or 3 seeds per pot, or seed trays, spacing each seed about an inch away from the next, then cover lightly with compost and seal into a polythene bag or propagator to maintain moisture levels.

Germination normally takes 10-14 days at 65 – 70F to and the seedlings will need to grow on for another 3 or 4 weeks before they're ready for pricking out.

Once the roots are showing at the base of the tray, they're ready to be transplanted. Remove the weakest seedlings from pot sown Hollyhocks, leaving the strongest to grow on individually and prick out tray sown seedlings into individual pots, handling the young plants by the leaves not the stems as they bruise easily, and taking care to avoid damaging the roots.

Grow on the young plants in a position that has maximum all-round light, ideally, plants should have warm roots but cool tops, until they are ready for planting out in May or June. Occasionally an eager young Hollyhock may try to flower in the first year, in this situation it is better to snip off the flower spike and allow the plant to become more established rather than to allow it to flower too soon.