Alcea roseaHollyhock

Tall, upright and unmistakably old-fashioned, the Alcea rosea or Hollyhock sends a single flowering spire up to 2.5 metres from a low rosette of large, rounded leaves. The flowers open from the bottom of the spike upwards over several weeks, in single or double form and in almost every colour but true blue.

It is a short-lived plant, usually grown as a biennial, and it earns its place by giving instant vertical structure against walls, fences and the back of a deep border.

Specifications

• Height1.5 to 2.5 metres in flower
• Width0.5 to 0.8 metres
• Native toAsia; long in cultivation, with wild origins attributed to south west and central Asia
• FoliageLarge, rounded, shallowly lobed and roughly textured leaves in a basal rosette; deciduous
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilPrefers deep, fertile, well-drained soils
• LightFull sun
• WaterModerate; needs steady moisture while the flower spike is extending
• ClimateThrives in temperate and warm temperate regions; dislikes prolonged humid heat

Additional Features

• FlowersLarge single or double flowers in white, pink, red, apricot and near black, opening up a tall spike through summer
• UsesBack-of-border planting, cottage and heritage garden schemes, and screening against walls and fences
• SpacingPlant 0.4 to 0.6 metres apart for a continuous run of spires
• Low MaintenanceStake in exposed positions and cut spent spikes to the base; self-seeds readily
• Pest ResistanceSusceptible to hollyhock rust in humid conditions; space plants for airflow
• Seasonal AppealA long succession of bloom from early summer into autumn

The Hollyhock delivers height and colour in a single season and remains one of the simplest ways to build vertical interest into a planted border.