The Best Time to Transplant Hollyhocks

Characteristics

• Hollyhocks grow in USDA Hardiness zones 3 to 9 in full sunlight to partial shade. When the plants are healthy, they'll bloom in summer regularly for two years or longer. Hollyhocks are self-seeding biennials that will regrow in the garden after their first year of life. In the first year, the plant may produce little more than bushy foliage, but hollyhocks will bloom in the second year and may survive for a third or fourth year. Hollyhocks drop their seeds in the same place they are planted and this makes transplanting difficult because the timing is so important. You must transplant a hollyhock before it drops the seeds to give the plant its best chance at survival.

Early Transplanting

• The best time to transplant hollyhocks is when they're very young. Some gardeners plant the seeds six to eight weeks before the last spring frost of the year, covering them with a light layer of rich soil. The hollyhock seedlings may be transplanted into the garden after the soil warms. Hollyhocks may also be planted in the garden in late fall.

Transplanting

• Hollyhocks send very long roots deeply into the ground, making them very hard to transplant once they get beyond the seedling stage. The plants are not likely to survive transplantation after they are fully grown, but if you are determined to move them, do so in early spring while the plant is dormant. Prune the flowering stalks so they are approximately 12 inches high prior to being moved.

Care

• The flowering stalks of hollyhocks grow 6 to 10 feet tall and must be staked and supported. After the plants are 2 years old, prune back or pull up the plant's first-year flowering stalks. The stalks are susceptible to disease and weak growth; removing them will create room for new stalks that will be much stronger and more attractive.