Hollyhock Seeds

Start Alcea Rosea Hollyhock seeds indoors 8–10 weeks before your last frost, or plant outdoors once the soil is warm. Hollyhock seeds need light to germinate, so don't bury them — press them into the surface and barely dust over the top. Keep the medium around 65–70°F and damp (not soaked). To improve germination, soak seeds for 12 hours before sowing, and Hollyhock flower seeds sprout in 10–14 days. Another option is sowing seeds outdoors in midsummer: they rosette through fall and you get an eight-foot flowering plant by next June.

Alcea Rosea Hollyhock flower requires six-eight hours of full sun. They can grow in basically every soil, but provide them with deep, compost-rich, near-neutral loam and you will get proper eight-foot plants. Water deeply once a week at the base, and never overhead, as wet foliage can cause rust and your flower will eventually die. Apply two inches of mulch over the root zone to help the plant survive summer heat.

Stake Alcea Rosea Hollyhock flowers the moment they pass four feet. Pinch off any leaves showing the orange pustules of rust once they appear, and clear all the debris in autumn, to avoid spores spreading. Deadhead spent blooms to push flowering into September, or leave the last few spikes and let the patch reseed itself.