Still in France we just came home from a lovely beach day on the Ile de Re. I am seriously thinking they should consider changing the name to Ile de Hollyhocks!
Ille de Re is an island, connected to the mainland of La Rochelle by a three-kilometre bridge.It is full of miles of golden beaches and white-washed low houses with green, blue or grey shutters.The towns are a collection of single-story cottages with red-tiled roofs,and the hollyhocks are springing out between stones in the pavement or framing the shingles on every cottageon its narrow winding streets.
Hollyhocks, or Alcea rosea, are one of those quintessential plants that remind us of cherished cottage gardens.Most hollyhocks are technically biennials - producing leaves the first year and flowers the next (if you grow them from seed).Buying well-established plants from the nursery usually guarantees you flowers the first year.Despite the fact that hollyhocks are deemed " biennial," they often last longer than two years as they self-seed readily and can be described as a short-lived perennial.
Hollyhocks produce spires of flared, sometimes double flowers in a wide range of pastel colours to vivid mahogany red.They grow quickly and can exceed 10 - 15 feet.Few other flowers look so lovely en masse so don't be shy about planting these beauties in clumps of three or five.
Here in Coastal Western France itprovides the ideal growing conditions for hollyhocks.They are everywhere.Growing out of cracks in the pavement, rocks, and framing houses under protective overhangs.The key here is excellent drainage.In our coastal gardens in Squamish we should expect some rust to form on the leaves of hollyhocks in the middle of summer. Don't be too concerned.If this occurs, just keep the spent leaves out of your compost to ensure you don't spread the rust.Also check out reliable seed companies for rust free varieties of your favourite hollyhocks
You can also try hand weeding any groundsel, which is a common annual weed that acts as a host to hollyhock rust, away from the base of the plants.
We all know that hollyhocks lend themselves to a loose cottage-type flower garden, but the beauty of hollyhocks is much enhanced when displayed against a background like a grey wall or fence, a tall green hedge, or a border of evergreen shrubs.
They seem to like the protection of being planted up against walls or under eaves.Considering our excessive wet conditions during the winter, this is a good piece of advice.Once established, these tough plants are incredibly drought tolerant.
Plant your hollyhock plants in the driest sunniest, well-drained spot you can find in your garden, or in your pavement cracks (ha!).The basal light green leaves are rounded and slightly lobed and look great even when the plant is not in flower. They are an extremely hardy plant for zones 3 - 9 and once established, you won't be sorry you decided to grow them.
