Dwarf Hollyhock Seedling Identification

About Dwarf Hollyhock

• Hollyhocks are biennial plants, developing vegetative growth in the first year and flowering in the second year. After bloom, the plant develops seeds and ends its life cycle after the first frost. Standard hollyhocks grow to around 8 feet and add a cottage feel to the garden. Dwarf hollyhocks offer a petite version in the landscape; for example, the dwarf cultivar Queeny Purple reaches 3 feet tall. Hollyhocks, tall and short alike, display show-stopping blooms from June to August.

Leaf Identification

• To identify a hollyhock seedling, take note of its foliage. Two cotyledons, or seed leaves, are the first leaves that emerge; these leaves do not resemble the true leaves of the plant. The true leaves unfurl after the embryonic leaves. They are crinkled, oval or circular and loosely shaped by three to seven lobes. Leaf margins are indented with rounded notches, and white veins radiate from a single point. The underside of the leaf becomes soft with maturity.

Mature Plant Identification

• Sometimes it is tricky identifying hollyhock seedlings based only on foliage. If you wait a few months for seedlings to mature, some cultivars of hollyhock bloom in their first year of growth. Floral traits help to identify plants. Hollyhock blooms are bell shaped and come in shades of red, yellow, purple and white. Flowers have five petals and are striking in part because of their size, measuring 3 to 5 inches wide. Five green sepals are positioned outside the petals and six to nine green bracts are below the sepals. Blooms of hollyhock develop singly or in clusters directly on a single stem. Some cultivars bear lacy, frilled or double flowers.

Care

• Hollyhocks prefer a sunny, moist site in the garden. Due to their tall stature and large blooms, consider planting your hollyhock against a fence or a building for protection against wind and a pleasing landscape effect. Place hollyhocks 18 to 36 inches apart. To encourage more blooms, pick off spent flowers during the growing season. Rust is a common disease of hollyhock. Symptoms include yellow or orange spots with red centers on the upper side of the leaf. Pluck infected leaves as soon as symptoms appear.