In What Colors Do Summer Carnival Hollyhocks Come?

History

• Recognized as an ancient plant, hollyhocks migrated to England with the Crusaders, who discovered them in the Middle East. The extensive history of the highly adaptable hollyhock depicts it as a celebrated plant in Japan centuries before the Crusades. Today many adults have fond memories of this sentimental favorite, which is often found growing in family gardens with lush red, pink, white, yellow and purple blossoms.

Colorful Hollyhocks

• Mixes of flowers contain various colors, and predicting the eventual combination of colors from each seed packet is impossible. The summer carnival mix of hollyhocks contains double blooms in a plethora of pink, red and purple shades, as well as various shades of yellow and occasionally white. A single plant grows as a tall spike and is covered from bottom to top with flowers of only one color, such as red, but the neighboring plant could easily be white, yellow, purple or pink.

Growing Hollyhocks

• Easy-to-grow hollyhocks are considered biennials by some people (they grow foliage the first year and flower the second), but others refer to them as perennials that return every year. The self-sowing seeds of summer carnival and other hollyhocks easily spread and reseed, which might give the impression that the plants are perennial. They generate a lot of visual excitement in a garden, especially when planted with a mixture of other bright perennials.

Designing With Hollyhocks

• Reliably tall spires of hollyhocks bloom through the summer with relatively dense foliage. The dense, clump-forming growth habit draws attention away from less desirable garden views, such as fences and neighboring buildings, while providing a backdrop and shade for shorter perennials and annuals that require only partial sun. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds attracted to yellow and red plants appreciate a garden with summer carnival hollyhocks.

Color Decay

• Following multiple generations of hollyhocks, gardeners note that pale pink and yellow blossoms in the summer carnival mix fade to shades of white. Darker, more intense colors remain unaffected, but gradually there is less light pink and yellow in the summer carnival mix. By planning ahead, color decay can be avoided -- remove any white or light pink flowers before they seed, but only if the preference is for vibrant rather than pale colors.