They're very hardy and are can be semi-evergreen throughout winter. You can sow Hollyhock seeds anytime after December 21st.

T

Thank you Trudi,:0)
cAROL

I've started mine in early March for 2 years & had sprouts in about 3 weeks

Great info.So, do I understand this correctly,The first year, they will not bloom,if I want them to bloom again the third year,I need to keep planting,in other words, they bloom every other year,so to get blooms every year,replant every other.Am I CONFUSSING EVERY ONE, :0)
cAROL

cAROL - I WS hollyhock seeds from a trade last year and they not only bloomed first year, they rebloomed a couple times later in the season! Where did you see the info about them blooming every other year? I haven't seen that anywhere and I've been looking at several different types of seeds. I WS a dwarf pink double and a single dark burgundy--both bloomed first year from seed.

They bloom every year, once they start blooming. Hollyhocks are annoying in that there are annuals, perennials and biennials--and they are promiscous pollinators and will cross with any other hollyhock in the garden or neighborhood. And because of it their progeny have mysterious lifespans.

I remember someone said something about perennials blooming every other year. I have no idea who said that or where they got the information. I remember thinking something about it. I know it was on garden web somewhere, if I was a betting person, which I am not. I would say it was on the wsers forum. I didn't dare say anything even though it was nothing I had heard before about any perennial I had grown or came in contact with. I was thinking maybe they knew something I didn't.

Maybe that is where she got the info??

Nosy rosy me had to put my 2 cents in!! Sorry!!

trudi - thanks for that information! I've never grown them before so I'm essentially a hollyhock 'Nancy Naive.' There aren't any other HH within about a half-mile radius that I know of so I'll assume mine will play nice in the sandbox for the forseeable future. Since they set rather an impressive amount of seed, I'll WS them for a couple of years at least to get more of them, then let them do their own thing without my help.

Gardenweed,I am not sure where I read this, seems I have always had this thought about HH,s., one of the reasons I never planted them,but I love them,and want to give them a try,I will do what you do, just plant them every year,ha ha
Country,you are on the WSing forum,teehee,and I am only asking about HH,s, not all prennials,and your no nosy rosy, all comments are much appreciated.:0)
cAROL

The figleaf hollyhock is supposed to be more perennial than the rosea type of hollyhock.

HH are biennials, meaning they generally spend the first year establishing roots and the next year shoot up and flower and then die down. They reseed themselves so once you get them going in your garden you probably will not need to keep planting them to get yearly bloom. Hollyhocks hate to be moved because they have a main taproot so once they get going in a spot they are there until they die or you will kill the plant if you dig it up. I've heard of some people successfully moving HHs but I think it is a lot of luck.

I've never had single hollyhocks bloom the first year, I did have a double do it this year but out of 12 plants only one produced one bloom and the plants, b/c they were started in the spring and put outside in May never got very large though next year I expect they will go crazy. I generally have to stake mine for support on the second year because they get so huge and tall and heavy with blooms.

They also are prone to rust, I read on another forum to spread a little corn meal in the soil around the base of the plant and it keeps rust down. Didn't sound to me like anything more than an old wives tale (and who in the world decides to try something like that for the first time!) but I did it out of desperation b/c I put out really young plants and sure enough the batch of 12 that I planted had zero rust problems this year. Amazing!

I had one that reseeded, but I cut off the flower for the vase and the plant died. They do take up alot of room and they love bonemeal!

This is my first time WS them because I've only seen them in limited colors.