Frilly Hollyhock

Lovely, mine are nowhere near out yet! They've really suffered from those brutal winds. I think I might have treated them too well, so they grew very tall and most have snapped and regrown. Next year no fertilizer and staked from the start. Also will be trying out different positions in the garden...I will have hollyhocks!!

I've found that Hollyhocks prefer tough love!... I've seen them thriving along the margins of abandoned parking lots in the heart of a small city! Heat, dryness and sandy gravel and they're happy. You've been so good to them!
These plants are growing in average soil. No fertilizer. Getting them off to a good start in paper pots worked for me. They establish in a bit of good soil but go on from there to grow and thrive in some of the worst gravel based dirt on the planet! I've used tomato cages on peonies...I wonder if they'd work with your windswept hollyhocks?

Yes I really don't know why I bothered feeding them as they grew perfectly good and strong in my last garden. Though they just selfseeded there and quietly got on with it, this lot are pampered seeds which I nurtured up and really look forward to see them opening. I'm beginning to doubt they ever will though...

oh dear... positivity, my friend. (Yes I know, you're positive they never will! LOL...)

One of them has actually opened the odd flower, they definitely look shell shocked and war ravaged. I'll post some when there are some more flowers. The colour is not nearly as black as they were at my sisters 2 years ago. Two years of nursing thse blimming seeds, oh well thats gardening for you. I will try again next year though but do it differently.