Here are some good pics of Hollyhock seedlings. Can't give you any more info than that. I planted three seedlings last fall and only one has come back this spring.

MeMo

Here is a link that might be useful: Seedling pics

Thanks MeMo! At least now I'll know what not to pull. IF they ever decide to come up! ???? I can't figure out what's wrong.

Rett

I would try and start them in pots first and transplant when they are strong enough. What maybe happening is the slugs could be getting them as they emerge. Slugs and snails LOVE hollyhocks. I keep small bowls of beer around my newly planted hollyhocks and they are full of slugs in the morning.

They need full sun once established.

Edna

You can also plant Hollyhocks that bloom the first year from seed. Summer Carnival is one type that does that. I am a very impatient person so I planted them. I planted them in little cups of potting soil with drainge holes and when they were big enough to handle I transplanted them where I wanted them. Everything loves to eat Hollyhocks though. I had to cover mine to protect them from the rabbits until they grew tall enough and insects love them too! They bloomed like crazy in July and August.

I too planted 2 packs of them and only a handful of them sprouted. Same thing with the Larkspur, I planted in the fall and none of them came up. I planted some in a couple of new beds in March and I have sprouts but don't know what they are as I sowed so many different kids of seeds.
Meghan

Slugs love beer? That's incredible! I never knew that!
I did plant some Summer Carnival, so maybe I will get flowers this year. Because I have to admit, it's a bit depressing to plant something that you're not going to see bloom for two years!
All right, I will start some in seed pots. About how big should I wait until I transplant them? Until they're an inch or two big or even bigger?
Thank you so much, everybody! I love this forum. Everybody is so helpful.
Rett

I will give them another chance this year. Last year rabbits ate them all - it broke my heart!
Good luck,
~Natalie

Transplant when they are about 4 or 5 inches tall. Spread Sluggo around them or small bowls of beer.

Happy gardening!

Edna

Edna is right -- spread sluggo. Also don't bury them too deeply. They need light to germinate. Try spreading the seeds on top of the soil and just pressing them in until they are in firm contact and only partly covered.

I too find them hard to get going, but once you have them growing, they will reseed cheerfully for years. All the hollyhock family are like this. Be sure you really, really want them. They will be with you for a long time.

R

I grow mine indoors in pots and start them really early. I just lay the seeds on the surface of the soil and press. I read that they need light to germinate. The first year you'll only get leaves and then the next year blooms. Someone in the exchange did send me pink hollyhocks and they were marked as annuals, so maybe I'll get blooms on those...we'll see!

They come up like weeds for me so I'm always stumped when someone has such a hard time growing them. I do know they do best with good drainage. I have sandy, decomposed granite for native soil - they love it, but I also have them come up in my amended beds (good compost) like one.

Hollyhocks can be biennial, perennial or annual. Sometimes it just depends on where you live. There are so many hybrids now that you should be able to find first year bloomers. It is mostly the old heirloom ones that are biennial, from my experience.

Good luck and don't give up! With the exception of roses ; ) , nothing says cottage quite like hollyhocks. : )

Diana

I live in Zone 6 in PA. I planted my Summer Carnival Hollyhock seeds in the cups of potting soil outside in Spring time. I put the cups with drainage holes and covered them with plastic wrap and put a hole in the plastic wrap for air. Then they sat outside on my back patio in the sunshine in late March and they sprouted in about 10 days. They were inside a box so they didn't blow away. it's the same technique as winter sowing but done in the Spring time. Then when they sprouted and were growing up against the top of the plastic I took the plastic off and continued to water them and planted them out in the garden in late April or early May I guess. Hollyhocks are quite hardy and to keep the rabbits from eating them I used to cover them with old upended plastic mesh kind of boxes and stuff like that until they were big. I used one as the center of a whiskey barrel planter and it looked gorgeous with nasturtiums around it.

angelclub--I love the pics of your gorgeous Hollyhocks!
Thank you everybody for your advice. Hopefully all of these suggestions will help. I'm just going to keep buying seeds until SOMETHING germinates. :-)
I agree, that roses and Hollyhocks say "cottage."
Rett

Rett,

The viability of hollyhock seeds can be short-lived, so I always sprout my seeds first before planting.
Dampen a paper towel;
Lay the seeds on the center of the paper towel, spacing them so they don't lap;
Fold the paper towel over the seeds.
Place the towel in a plastic bag. (I use empty bread sacks).
*Very Important* Using a permanent ink marker, write the date on the bag.
Put the bags of seeds in a warm place until they sprout. (like on top of the refrigerator)
In 7-14 days the viable seed will sprout and will be ready to plant.
This way you will know whether the seed is good or not.
Plant the ones that are sprouted in 4-inch pots and return the rest to the warm place to allow them more time to sprout. (Seeds don't all sprout at exactly the same length of time, so allow them time to do so.)
Transplant them out into your garden. If voles are getting your plants, pot them up into bigger pots. Bury the pots in your garden. The pot will protect the plant from voles, mice, and etc.
Next year, transplant them out into your garden.
If you have any tar paper laying around, make ring barriers around the plants to protect the young, tender roots. (These work good for roses, too.)
~Annie

I saw beautiful Hollyhock plants at the garden center. They already had blooms on them and looked quite sturdy. I didn't get them as I have no full sun. Maybe that is the way to go at least for the time being as you are trying the seeds . just an idea. Caroline

If you just want any old hollyhocks, Caroline's idea is best. They will reseed for you year after year. But if you want varieties your local nursery doesn't have (as I do), you have to start them yourself from seed.

Rosefolly

Well, if I'd ever SEEN any Hollyhocks at the garden center already started, I would have tried a few of those, but I've never seen any at my local nurseries. (In fact, I was just wondering the other day if the nurseries/garden centers carried them already started.) I really love the old fashioned ones, but I'm willing to start with any.
Also---another question I just thought of, this fall, do I cut the old stalks back or do I leave them as they are?
Rett

By fall regular hollyhocks look so rusty you will want to cut them back! Other than that, cutting back the main stalk encourages some kinds to rebloom.

But if you are willing to buy plants online, you ought to be able to get your starters that way. Sometimes Annie's Annuals has them. I checked Bluestone Perennials because they sell plants of a couple of close hollyhock relatives, mallows and sidalcea. They also sell plants of several varieties of hollyhock, I discovered. Their prices are very reasonable, too.

Rosefolly

Rett, my hollyhocks start blooming when my temps get into the high 60s-low 70s consistently. They will grow to about 8-10 ft. and bloom constantly until around the middle of July when they start to decline. It's then that I cut them down to about a foot or so, center stalk included. They begin to show new growth within a week or two and by Sept. they are up to ~4-5 ft. and blooming again. While they don't grow as tall the second time around, they get much fuller, with the lower leaves resembling a multi layered old fashioned skirt. : )

This second flush will often last until Jan. when I cut them down again. I don't experience rust since I'm in a dry area with little summer rain compared to most areas. Also, watering from below helps prevent rust and other diseases, as it does for most plants.

So if you get any plants to grow, try cutting them back when they begin to fade in your area. You may be surprised at the lovely second flush you'll receive from them. I find I often like this one the best. : )

HTH!
Diana