Hollyhocks only live for two or three years but are masters of reseeding themselves. Hollyhocks are really easy and like no special treatments. Short-lived, yet beautiful and impressive, hollyhocks are one of the easiest flowers you can grow. In my yard, the hollyhocks that do best are on a north-facing wall. I live in a 7B-8A climate so pretty perfect if they were going to easily propigate. https://homeguides.sfgate.com/propagation-hollyhock-22273.html You’ll already see the first orange pustules that will soon spread all over the leaves! Fortunately, even if plants of rust-resistant hollyhocks are rarely seen in garden centers, seeds of the “good hollyhocks” are commonly available in seed catalogs, both printed and virtual. Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) belong to the mallow family. Hollyhocks are the epitome of cottage garden plants. Not only do they spread rapidly, but they are not high maintenance at all! These stately towers of flowers bloom for a long time in summer in a wide variety of colors. They’re offering you a pre-diseased plant! The botanical name comes from the Latin word "altheo," which means "to cure," because some hollyhocks have medicinal properties. The easiest way to propagate hollyhocks is from seed. Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) tower majestically at the back of a flowerbed on 4- to 5-foot stalks that bear 3- to 6-inch flowers in shades of white to pink to purple, and even yellow hues. Table Of ContentsBasic Facts about HollyhockHow Each flower lasts only a few days, but the season of bloom can be from four weeks to three months long. The leaves are large at the base of the plant with a shape resembling a heart. Ferns, on the other hand, spread via spores but they do so most sparingly. Hollyhocks bloom from April through June or July. The old-fashioned hollyhocks are hardy perennials but they are short-lived. They are also usually planted as a backdrop to other lower growing flowers so may be against a fence. If you want to control the spread of the plants deadhead some of the spent flowers. A self-seeding plant, hollyhocks happily reproduce, and spread, if spent flowers are allowed to go to seed. I do have a recipe for spray to keep the rust off but in NM the air is so dry and since I cut them back I don't use it! Allow the remaining spent flowers to go to seed. Hollyhocks do best with morning or filtered afternoon sun. Insight. This is a relative to a hollyhock, smaller and I … I have many and wish they would more easily self propogate. Chances are you’ve seen them alongside a barn, in front of a cute cottage-style house, or gracing the front of a white picket fence. Hollyhock mallow can reach 4 feet in height with a spread of about 1 foot. This old-fashioned pass-along plant has absolutely caught the hearts of many. CapCarl says. 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