Chaters Double Hollyhock Seeds

How to Grow Hollyhock Seeds

Binomial name: Alcea rosea

Life Cycle: Perennial (often grown as an annual)This 'How to Grow' guide details everything a home gardener needs to know to plant, grow and care for Hollyhock (Alcea rosea).When to Sow Hollyhock Seeds. Use the table below to identify the best time of year to sow hollyhock seeds in your climate.

Preparation Hollyhock plants are best grown in full sun. Choose a location that will receive at least 6 hours of full sun each day. Hollyhock plants are short-lived perennials, meaning they usually live for between two and five years. Choose a permanent position where plants can grow undisturbed by regular digging or disturbance.

Hollyhock plants often self-seed in the garden, dropping seeds that can grow the next season without any help. Pick a spot where new plants are welcome. If you prefer not to have hollyhocks spread, deadhead them before they seed or plant them in containers. They thrive in well-drained soil rich in organic matter. To prepare, weed thoroughly, loosen the soil, and mix in aged manure or compost. Keep the area weed-free until planting. Learn more about soil preparation here.

How to Sow Hollyhock Seeds.

Hollyhock seeds do not require any treatment (eg. soaking, stratification) before sowing.Hollyhock seeds grow best when they are raised in trays or other containers and transplanted to the garden once established.

1. Fill trays, punnets or jiffy pots with a good quality seed-raising mix, or use soil starter pellets.
2. Sow seeds 6mm deep.
3. Keep soil moist but never wet or dry.
4. Seeds should germinate in around 10-14 days at a soil temperature of 18-28°C.
5. Transplant seedlings to the garden once they have their first true leaves and are large enough to handle (usually 5-10 cm tall).
6. Plant out, spacing plants 40 cm apart.

Tip: Hollyhock seeds can also be sown in the less formal 'scatter seed' method. Simply roughen the soil, scatter seeds evenly over the surface, then smooth the soil over lightly to cover the seeds.

How to Grow Hollyhock.

Water hollyhocks when the top 5cm of soil is dry, preferably in the early morning or late afternoon. To prevent fungal diseases, avoid wetting the leaves. If the soil is well-prepared, extra fertiliser isn't needed. However, in poor soil, a high-potassium fertiliser or one for flowering plants can give your plants a boost.

• Apply slow release fertiliser at the recommended rate when transplanting or when seedlings are 5-10cm tall.
• Apply liquid fertiliser at the recommended rate and frequency while plants are fruiting or flowering.

Hollyhock plants may need to be supported as they grow. Depending on the expected size and height of the plant, use a stake, bamboo cane, trellis or string lines to support plants. Make sure you have the support in place when you sow seed or transplant seedlings to avoid disturbing the plant's roots later.

Hollyhock plants should flower in approximately 150-200 days.

Deadhead hollyhocks regularly during the growing season. Using sharp secateurs or snips cut entire flower stems at ground level. Removing old flower spikes will encourage plants to produce more flowers. Learn more about deadheading flowering plants here.To grow hollyhocks as perennials, cut flower stems at ground level after flowering and prune off all dead foliage in winter.