Hollyhock Super Single Mix seeds. Guaranteed show stopper
This single flowered biennial will burst with 8 colors varying from deep dark red, pink, yellow and white blooms through most of the summer season!
Hollyhocks have been grown in gardens for centuries, their tall spikes of satiny, crepe-textured flowers making a fine display in mid-summer. Best at the back of a sunny border, with something in front to hide their bare lower stems. This strain features fluffy flowers, in a wide range of pastel shades. Plants usually act as short-lived perennials, but will re-seed themselves for many years. Attractive to both butterflies and hummingbirds.
Sowing and growing instructions
1. Fill a tray with compost and water it well to ensure that it is consistently moist. If you water after sowing, you can wash the seeds about and bunch them together – not what you want.
2. Sow the large seeds individually, spacing about an inch apart on the compost surface, in a grid. Don't push in the seed, as you then won't be able to see each one. If you are distracted, it's all too easy to forget where you've sown and where seeds still need to go. Left on the top, they are clearly visible. When the tray is full, cover lightly with compost.
3. Spaced widely, the seeds can germinate and grow on for a few weeks before you prick them out. This saves you time in the end, rather than simply chucking seed about willy-nilly.
4. Place the tray in a warm and cosy spot to germinate. You don't need light at this stage. I cover seed trays with an empty compost bag – opened out – to keep in warmth and moisture and speed germination. If you do this, after about a week, check trays every morning and night for germination. Once this starts, remove the light-excluding plastic.
5. Hollyhocks take 10-14 days to germinate and then another 3-4 weeks before they're ready for pricking out. If roots are showing at the base of the tray, they're ready to move on.
6. To prick out, handle only the seed leaves, not the stem (which bruises very easily). Get a pencil (or stiff plant label) right under each plant and try to tease out every individual seedling, roots and all.
7. Place each seedling into its own pot of peat-free compost, firm down and water.
8. The ideal spot for growing on has maximum all-round light – ideally, plants should have warm roots but cool tops.
9. Hollyhocks will be ready for planting out in the garden by June, but won't flower well until the following year.
Further details for
Alcea rosea Single Mix
Optimal Growing
Conditions Appearance and
Characteristics
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil Type
Normal or
Sandy or
Clay
Soil pH
Neutral or
Alkaline or
Acid
Soil Moisture
Care Level
Easy Flower Colour
Creamy Yellow
Deep Pink
Light Pink
Purple
Red
Salmon
White
Yellow
Blooming Time
Mid Summer
Late Summer
Foliage Color
Light Green
Plant Uses & Characteristics
Accent: Good Texture/Form
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Hummingbirds
Border
Cut Flower
Deer Resistant
Drought Tolerant
Rabbit Resistant
Massed
Specimen
Flower Head Size
Very Large
Height
150-210 cm
59-82 inches
Spread
30-45 cm
12-18 inches
Foot Traffic
None