HOW to PLANT and GROW HOLLYHOCKS plus TIPS for growing hollyhocks in HOT CLIMATES

Summary

Hollyhocks, a beloved cottage garden flower, are making a comeback in many gardens today. Although these plants are biennials, they often re-seed themselves, creating the illusion of a perennial. This video provides comprehensive tips on planting and growing hollyhocks, particularly in hot climates like Arizona. Key advice includes understanding hollyhock growth patterns, choosing the right location with adequate sunlight and well-draining soil, and maintaining proper care to avoid rust. Additionally, specific instructions are given for hot climates, highlighting the importance of planting times, sun exposure, and pruning techniques to ensure a flourishing garden filled with vibrant hollyhock blooms.

Highlights

• Witness the comeback of hollyhocks in gardens, reminiscent of a bygone era. 🏡
• Hollyhocks offer stunning blooms from bottom to top of tall stalks. 🌺
• Although they are biennials, they often give the appearance of perennials due to reseeding. 🌿
• Plant in well-lit areas with good soil, ideally at the back of a garden border. 🌞
• Attract hummingbirds and butterflies with their vibrant colors! 🦋

Key Takeaways

• Hollyhocks are making a triumphant return in gardens! 🌸
• These tall beauties bloom from the bottom up, offering a spectacle of colors. 🌈
• Understanding hollyhocks' biennial nature is key; they're in it for the long game! ⏳
• Plant them in sunny spots with well-draining soil for the best growth. ☀️
• Healthy blooms depend on deep watering and avoiding overhead spraying. 💧

Overview

Hollyhocks are making a lovely resurgence in gardens, winning hearts with their tall, colorful blooms that remind many of quaint cottage gardens. First introduced to some through family gardens, these flowers are perfect for adding that vintage charm to any garden space. Their growth, starting from the bottom and reaching skywards, makes them a spectacle to behold, filled with colors like pink, white, yellow, and even nearly black!

Understanding the unique biennial nature of hollyhocks is crucial for successful growing. Often misunderstood, these plants typically focus on root and foliage development in their first year and bloom magnificently in their second. With some luck and a favorable climate, they might even surprise you with blooms within one season. Their propensity to reseed gives them a perennial appearance, delighting gardeners by reappearing year after year.

For those gardening in hotter climates, strategic planting of hollyhocks can lead to a thriving, colorful garden. Planting in October and November or early spring ensures they get a strong start. Holistic care, including attentive watering and pruning, especially in desert regions like Arizona, helps these plants manage the heat and bloom beautifully. Don't miss out on harvesting seeds for future planting adventures!

Chapters

• 00:00 - 01:00: Introduction and Overview The chapter titled 'Introduction and Overview' introduces the reader to the topic of hollyhocks, a popular cottage garden flower that is gaining popularity again. The narrator shares a personal story about first encountering hollyhocks in her husband's grandmother's garden and expresses an intention to grow them in her own garden. The chapter promises to share tips for growing hollyhocks and includes bonus tips specifically for those living in the low desert of Arizona.
• 01:00 - 02:00: Understanding Hollyhocks Growth Hollyhocks produce blooms up the tall stalks with a variety of colors ranging from pink, white, yellow, red, to nearly black, and can grow up to 12 feet tall.
• 02:00 - 03:00: Planting Location and Seed Planting Tips The chapter explains the nature of biennial plants using hollyhocks as an example. Biennials live for two years. In the first year, they germinate from seed, developing strong root systems and foliage, while in the second year, they produce flowering shoots that create seeds before dying. If only leaves are visible at the end of the first season, this is normal as the plant is developing roots for the next season's growth.
• 03:00 - 04:00: Time to Plant and General Care Tips The chapter discusses the growth cycle of hollyhocks, highlighting their ability to grow, develop, and bloom within an extended growing season. Despite being biennial, hollyhocks often appear perennial due to their tendency to drop seeds and re-seed in the same area, creating the illusion of the same plants returning each year.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Preventing and Treating Rust The chapter discusses the ideal conditions for growing hollyhocks to prevent and treat rust, a common fungal disease. It emphasizes the importance of planting hollyhocks in a location that receives plenty of sunlight and has well-draining soil, similar to many other plants. The seeds need to be planted shallowly, about a quarter of an inch deep, due to their small size. Additionally, it is advised to allow about two feet of space between plants to ensure healthy growth.
• 05:00 - 06:00: Preparing for the Next Season The chapter titled 'Preparing for the Next Season' provides tips on planting hollyhocks. Hollyhocks, known for their tall growth, are best planted at the back of a border or along a fence line. They attract wildlife such as hummingbirds and butterflies. It's crucial to plant hollyhocks at the right time, particularly if starting from seed. Given their large taproot, they need to be started in larger pots, ideally indoors.
• 06:00 - 07:00: Tips for Hot Climates This chapter provides guidance on planting hollyhocks, specifically in hot climates. Key tips include amending the planting area with compost each spring, and watering deeply each time the plants are watered. To encourage more blooms and fewer seeds, it's recommended to pinch off the faded blooms before seeds form.

HOW to PLANT and GROW HOLLYHOCKS plus TIPS for growing hollyhocks in HOT CLIMATES Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 hollyhocks are a cottage garden favorite that are beginning to be popular again i first saw hollyhocks in my husband's grandma's garden and i actually saved some seeds that may be growing now in my own garden in today's video i'm going to share my best tips for how to grow hollyhocks so you can add this beautiful flower to your garden stay tuned till the end and i'll share some bonus tips for growing hollyhocks if you live here in the low desert of arizona hollyhocks flowers begin blooming at the
• 00:30 - 01:00 bottom of the plant and the blooms spread up the tall stalks producing a long display of color and almost endless supply of blossoms hollyhock flowers can be single or double and come in colors ranging from pink and white to yellow red and even nearly black some types of hollyhocks can grow up to 12 feet tall so my first tip for growing hollyhocks is to understand how hollyhocks grow if you plant hollyhocks and they don't bloom the first
• 01:00 - 01:30 season don't despair that's actually normal hollyhocks are biennial what is a biennial biennials live for only two years normally biennials germinate from seed and grow strong root systems and foliage the first year the following season they send up flowering shoots that produce seed and then die so at the end of that first season all you may have is a bunch of leaves but some nice deep roots underground don't worry the following season that stock will
• 01:30 - 02:00 grow up and you will get the blooms some seasons those two things can happen all in one season if you have an extra long growing season that plant will grow and develop and send up a flowering stock although hollyhocks are a biennial it often seems like they're a perennial or a plant that lives for several years because hollyhocks so readily drop their seeds and re-seed in the same area from which they're grown those same plants seem to come back year
• 02:00 - 02:30 after year where is the best place to plant hollyhocks choose a location for growing hollyhocks that gets plenty of sunlight and that has good well-draining soil just about like every plant right hollyhocks are no different they grow best in sunny areas with good soil plant your seeds about a quarter of an inch deep those seeds aren't very big so they don't need to be very deep allow about two feet between your hollyhock plants when you're planting those plants tend to
• 02:30 - 03:00 grow large because hollyhock plants grow so tall an excellent place for them to grow is at the back of the border or along a fence line hollyhock blooms attract wildlife hummingbirds butterflies the next tip is to plant hollyhocks at the right time if you're going to start from seed know that hollyhocks have a large taproot and so you're going to need to start them in a larger pot start those seeds indoors about nine
• 03:00 - 03:30 weeks before your last average frost date plant those seedlings outside two or three weeks after your last frost here are some tips for growing healthy hollyhocks with lots of blooms the first tip is to amend the planting area with plenty of compost each spring water hollyhocks deeply each time you water if you want to encourage more blooms and fewer seeds pinch off the faded blooms before seeds form a lot of effort goes into forming those
• 03:30 - 04:00 seeds regular deadheading will encourage more flowers and encourages the plants energy to go into producing more flowers and not producing seeds leave the blooms on the plant at the end of the season to save the seeds or let them fall to reseed for next year keep your hollyhock trimmed up and tidy often hollyhock leaves become damaged or turn yellow keep those damaged leaves picked off the plant for a healthy plant hollyhock plants
• 04:00 - 04:30 often get rust on them so my next tip is all about how to prevent and treat rust on hollyhocks the way you water hollyhocks can affect whether or not your plant is affected by rust overhead water and water that gets on leaves often causes problems with rust on hollyhocks so it's important to water at ground level with some kind of drip irrigation or a hose that is watering the ground directly so that water can seep into the ground and go directly to
• 04:30 - 05:00 the roots where it's needed allowing about two feet between plants gives the plants plenty of air circulation and a lack of air circulation is one of the problems that can lead to rust in hollyhocks if you notice rust on your hollyhock remove the affected leaves and discard of them don't put them in your compost there are organic options that you can use if a plant is heavily infested consider removing that entire plant and planting in a new area the following
• 05:00 - 05:30 season so my next tip is all about encouraging those hollyhocks to come back the following year so what do you do at the end of the season as the blooms fade and seed pods begin to form if you want seeds in place for next spring simply let those seed pods develop and fall off the plant if you want to save seeds to plant in other areas harvest those seed pods when they're completely dry and the seeds inside are nice and dark you might see several plants growing up around your
• 05:30 - 06:00 hollyhock it's perfectly fine to divide those plants and add them in other areas or give them more room between plants here are some tips for growing hollyhocks in the low desert of arizona and other hot climates at the end of the season prune those spent hollyhock stalks down to about six inches remove all the spent plant material from around the plants the best time to plant hollyhock seeds here in the low desert is october and november there's no need to start seeds indoors
• 06:00 - 06:30 seeds do really well when planted directly in the garden you can also plant hollyhock seeds again in february and march here in the low desert hollyhocks do best with morning sun and filtered afternoon sun they like a little bit of afternoon shade and those blooms will last longer if they have some afternoon shade here in the low desert hollyhocks bloom from april through about june or july depending on where they're located in your yard in the fall once temperatures cool off
• 06:30 - 07:00 divide and replant hollyhocks around your yard hollyhocks are one of my favorite flowers that come back year after year thank you so much for watching