Although they are not one of the easiest garden flowers to care for, they are very robust. Once sown, you will be able to enjoy your hollyhocks for many years. Because you hardly have to worry about the offspring.
How do you sow hollyhocks correctly?
Hollyhocks can be sown directly outdoors as they germinate quite reliably and are robust. As dark germinators, they need a layer of soil to germinate. The optimal location is a sunny, nutrient-rich bed. The flowers appear in the second year.
Hollyhocks are available in different colors, both in pastel shades such as yellow, pink or salmon as well as in bright pink, red or almost black. The flowers can be single or double. Hollyhocks look particularly beautiful in groups or in a row along the fence. However, there they should be protected from tipping over and tied up.
Where do I get the seeds?
You can get hollyhock seeds online, in garden centers or in the supermarket. You may have to search a little for rarer varieties or special colors. You can also collect the seeds from dead hollyhocks, dry them and then sow them next year. However, you don't know what the flowers of these plants will look like later, because the seeds are not necessarily of the same variety and color.
How do I sow hollyhocks correctly?
Hollyhocks germinate quite reliably and they also like to self-seed. So if you have hollyhocks in your garden and let at least a few seeds dry on the plant, then you will always find hollyhocks in different places in your garden.
It is not necessary to grow these plants in the apartment. Since they have quite long roots, they would have to be transplanted from the pots very soon. It is better to sow your hollyhocks directly outdoors. Cover the seeds with a little soil because they are dark germinators.
You can sow in autumn or store the collected seeds in a dark and cool place over the winter and then sow them in spring. The bed should be as sunny as possible and be nutrient-rich. Thin out plants that have germinated too closely. Before the hollyhocks bloom next year, you can transplant them again.
When will my self-sown hollyhocks bloom?
Hollyhocks are so-called biennial plants. A rosette of leaves forms in the first year. Only in the second year does the long stem grow, on which the hollyhock produces numerous large flowers. These do not open at the same time but one after the other, first the lower ones, then the flower “moves” up the stem. By cutting back immediately after flowering, you can ensure that your hollyhock will bloom again next year.
The most important sowing tips for hollyhocks:
- self-seeding
- collected seeds not of the same color and type
- Dark Germ
- germinate quite reliably
- Sowing outdoors recommended
Tip
It is best to sow your hollyhocks directly outdoors, they are robust enough and can root deeply there as young plants.
