I take that to mean while you don't grow much from seed, you are successful with hollyhock grown from seed. I bought a package of them so we'll see. I am going to grow them inside in egg containers this fall and put them out in the spring if I am able. I have read they get rust so I will do what you did and keep the area clear of debris with rust. Thanks so much for your thoughts.

My seed grown hollyhocks (very easy from seed) were so gorgeous and then the deer ate them to the ground. Just a warning. Then I grew them, also from seed, inside my fenced-in garden and they had rust so bad two years in a row, even despite cutting back all the leaves and cleaning up the ones on the ground. I even took the topsoil off around the plants and tossed it. Replaced it and mulched it. Still had rust so I dug them up and threw them out. Too much trouble and they take up too much space in there.

If you start them now and keep them indoors over winter, I think you will stunt their growth for the next year. Egg cartons won't work. They grow really big. Best to start them indoors in early spring and plant out after frost to grow on and flower the next year.

Good luck to you! I gave up on any plant that requires too much pest/disease work.

Wow- what a shame to have gorgeous plants fed upon by our lovely wildlife. Tis a problem. I don't know to what extent the deer live around here in my neighborhood. I live in a pretty tight mobile home park but we'll see. I will give them a try. If I get rust and they don't respond as yours did not after all you did, I too will give up on them. Thanks for the tip about when to start and what to do timing wise. They are lovely.

I will second Susan's comment that egg cartons are too small and that keeping them indoors for so long will most likely cause issues. My seeds are ripening right now, and I by now just let them drop in the garden where I want them to grow and they do fine. So you can either sow them directly where you want them to grow in loosened soil right in the garden (no mulch) or you can wait until spring to sow indoors or you can winter sow them. There is an entire forum on winter sowing. They are hardy in our area, and so really do better outdoors in winter than indoors.

Hi - My thought regarding the egg cartons was just to start them and then tsplt them to larger containers. Planting in the fall inside waiting to plant spring outside is too long? But, I'm glad to hear they get big. I will follow all advice and try it both ways -- spring in - winter out. You say your seeds are ripening and you will drop them in the garden - that's now I assume...since mine are "store-bought", they may not do as well as your ripe ones. But, I will do a bit of each. Thank you again for your thoughts. BTW, do your HH get rust as everyone else seems to point out?

I soaked mine in warm/tepid water for a day or two then planted in 3 in. Pots this spring and then transplanted into the garden in the early summer. I know they are biennial but mine are flowering their first year.

Great tip. I was thinking of maybe soaking them b/f planting would be good. 3 inch pots I have. Will give it a try. Just one seed to one pot? People say they get quite large but seems you would have time to transplant before they grow too big in the pot. Thanks again.

You can't really go wrong with one seed per pot. I might've actually started them in a 6 pack and then potted up into a 3 inch pot, can't quite remember!

I sowed some seed end of April. Just transplanted from small 4 pack to 3 inch 4 pack. After giving them a bit of time to adjust to transplant, I am going to plant outside. I would think a couple of weeks of adjustment would work. Then hopefully they will survive outside winter climate come December etc. (I posted this in New England Gardening forum but no response as yet. Hope I hear from someone in this forum). Thanks.

This is the New England forum. I honestly do nothing for mine. They grow from seed I have let fall from the previous year outside in my garden. Be sure to harden yours off since outdoor light is far more intense than under your grow light by giving them a bit more sun each day starting from almost all shade. Otherwise they will get sunburned.

Here are mine that will bloom this year. They grew about to this size last season as seedlings and these are just starting to grow their flower spikes. If yours don't overwinter it isn't due to the climate since I am considerably colder than you. They really are rugged and hardy. Columbine and bearded iris leaves give scale, but leaves are a bit larger than my hand.

Thanks so much. I have actually had them in a bright, sunny window for a bit of time - but outside probably more intense as you say. So I guess I will go ahead and plant them after a while has passed and from shade to more sun. Thanks again.

I got them through the summer - sort of - they were thriving nicely until a resident woodchuck had a bit of them for lunch. It seems to have moved on however and there are a few surviving leaves. We'll see how it does over winter - hopefully it's gone but the deer may pick up where the woody left off.

I can’t see your location, but the leaves will die back when it gets cold, so the deer likely won be interested this fall and winter. However, if you are concerned, some time when the leaves are damp, take a shaker of dried hot pepper flakes out and give the plants a good sprinkling or get one of the commercial deer sprays like Plantskyd or Deeroff.

Thanks for that. I'm in RI. I would guess that would work for most any creature that would lunch on my little plant. I have 4 of them growing and would love to see them come to life next spring. I'll give it a try. Thanks again.

Either some of my critters such as voles and chipmunks or the mud on my garden footware or tools has moved a few seeds elsewhere in the garden. For instance, I have grown a deep red hollyhock in my front garden for something like 15 years, but this season there was one blooming around the back of the house in a garden bed. Sort of fun, and shows that these are resilient plants.

OOh - sounds luscious. Love deep red flowers of any sort. Very resilient and grown in even colder country than mine and for 15 years no less. Very good gardening.

Lovely. So healthy and full of buds and flowers. Thanks for pict.

NH babs- I am going to soak the red h.h. seeds you sent me and scatter them about tomorrow. Looking forward to some beauties such as yours. Thanks again for the seeds.

You are welcome. Enjoy! To have flowers very year, let some of the ones you have set seed each year. If you save some of what I sent for next year, those will be first year rosettes of leaves next season when this year’s plants are blooming. I don’t expect you will have flowers this year because the first year biennials just grow low leaves.

OK. Will do. Have a good growing season up thar in NH...:-)

I had 4 hollyhocks in the ground from last year. This year they started growing leaves and once again, before they had much of a chance, a critter had lunch. SO! I picked them up and put 2 each in good size pots. They have set more leaves and I am encouraged by this. One may not make it - all leaves gone. The others had little bits of leaves left so had something to grow on. I think this is the only way I can grow these plants. They seem to be very popular to the critters when in ground. Fingers crossed.