How to Grow Hollyhocks From Plant Seeds

Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) reach between 2 and 4 feet tall. Each plant supports taller flower spikes adorned with many trumpet-like blossoms. These biennial flowers come in a variety of colors, including pink, purple and yellow. Hollyhocks are prized in cottage-style flower gardens or as a border plant and they are also attractive as cut flowers. They grow quickly from seed but do not bloom until the second year after they are planted outside, so start fresh seed each year to ensure you have hollyhocks blooming every summer.

Pots
Potting soil

Instructions

- 1
  Fill 8-inch diameter pots with a moistened potting soil. Use container with drainage holes in the bottom to prevent the soil from becoming overly soggy.
- 2
  Sow two hollyhock seeds per pot. Plant the seeds 1/4 inch deep and mist the soil surface with water to moisten it.
- 3
  Set the pots in a sunny, cool area, such as near a window in an unheated porch or garage or inside a cold frame. Hollyhocks require temperatures between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit for best germination.
- 4
  Water the soil in the pot when the surface begins to dry. Hollyhocks usually germinate within two weeks.
- 5
  Transplant the hollyhocks to a well-drained, full-sun garden bed once all frost danger has passed. Plant them at the same depth they are growing at in the pots, spacing them 12 inches apart in all directions.

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