Pale Hollyhock

These are so lovely!

I inherited the hollyhocks in the garden, Peony, and they come up each year. I never know what colour they'll be or exactly where - sometimes they're in a very odd place! I don't mind at all - except that the black one seems to have vanished. :-((

Very pretty Spritz ... hollyhocks give so many blooms don't they?

It's strange that the original ones are all going strong, but several smaller plants I've added haven't thrived....I think that they're so right for a cottage garden. :-))

Re the black one, I'm pretty sure that I'm correct in saying that Hollyhocks rarely seed true to type. If I am correct, then hopefully it'll return again at some point.

Oh, that would be great! I really liked it, and I even bought a plant earlier on...I don't think it's survived, though.

I could be entirely wrong, but certainly when I've collected seed in the past the resulting plant was never the same as the parent, and frequently got ripped out. Worth a question maybe.

I'm sure you're right, Meanie, thinking about it...I might just try again with packeted seeds or a new young plant next year.

It is worth the effort for Hollyhock Nigra though - I used to have a whole clump of them at my old house (but I had half an acre there).

I don't know why that one fizzled out...it's such a shame - it was a lovely sight.

All this talk of Nigra has me thinking about where I could fit them in next year!

I keep wondering where I can get a plant! I don't want to have to wait for two years to have those lovely flowers. I'm just impatient, I know. :-(

I have seen them as bare root plants in with the bulbs in a few garden centres. Don't know how good they are, as I always had new plants coming on from seed to replace/expand the existing stock.

I had a go at growing some from seed last year, but I had an invasion of snails which decided they liked the little plants....grrrrrrrrr.....

snails can be pretty destructive little things...someone said that's what might be killing the maple tree out front. I have seen snails on the bricks of our house this year & last, never seen one before!

these flowers are very pretty by the way!

A builder friend reckons that it's not uncommon to find them in peoples lofts!! Snails that is.
The only answer to that Spritz is to grow them in pots and plant out in spring.

They 'were' in pots, Meanie. The snails got into the coldframe and munched the lot. I tried slug pellets, but too late. The silly thing was that I had too many in the seedtray, so I just potted up half a dozen of the strongest seedlings. The rest went in the compost bin! :-(((

I'm running out of words of encouragement here - clearly the snails in your garden view Hollyhocks in the same way that I view fillet steak!

LOL. !!!!!

I love them too...and wish that I could say I'd had success with them, but alas...I don't have snails to deal with...I have fungus~~ tried the black, but they never came back ... Would love to find some beautiful pale yellows...like my Mom had.

No, my black plant wasn't sturdy ever, and it faded out. Pale yellow sounds nice! I don't like the double flowered ones, though - and that was all that the Garden Centres were offering as small plants this year.

I'll try again from seeds, and make sure I protect them, I think.

One plus is that their seed is easy to collect...I'm still sighing about my Mom's HH because this time of year they would have bulging seed cases...they were true biennials, no messing around with their gene pool!

I have to admit that I haven't collected seeds - mostly because I'd like some different colours!

years ago I wanted nice ones like my Mom's...so I bought a package of singles...had a few plants but they never made it thro the first winter...since then all I can find are seeds for the pom pom...double thingys. If memory serves I bought a single at the same time I bought the black one and lost both to severe rust infection. The plants looked ghastly...like strange palm trees as I removed most of the bottom leaves in an effort to thwart the march of the rust. (Don't you appreciate my formidable grasp of horticultural terminology!!??) I'm determined to have my yellows..some day.

Mine get rust every year, Lori - I just haven't time, the memory (or inclination!) to spray them 'before' it hits. I don't like spraying everything in sight anyway...how about all the insect life around?

When we go into town, we have to pass a house with some beautiful pale yellow single Hhs. I go green with envy every time I see them! :-(

I got some seeds for singles off ebay, they have black ones and probably pale yellow too. Might be worth a look if you can't find any anywhere else.

That's a good thought. I might just do that! Thanks. :-)

np, i just hope you find what you're looking for :)

Mmmmm.. Me too! :-)