Seeds per Pack (approx.): 15
Hollyhock Halo Red (Alcea rosea) Seeds
Hardy Perennial
Crown the beauty of a cottage or grandmother's garden with these old-fashioned blooms!
Very free-flowering, these tall 6½-foot stalks stop garden visitors in their tracks!
For arresting color that dominates the landscape, you can't go wrong with Hollyhock Halo Red! This new single-flowered variety is taller, more floriferous, and simply brighter than all that have gone before . . . and your sunny border is about to reap all the rewards!
These single-flowered blooms boast lacquer-red petals so glossy they look as if you polished them. At the base of each bloom is a blush of golden-yellow, creating a halo effect that is most arresting. Big, closely spaced, and eager to bloom over a long early- to midsummer season, these are blooms to fall in love with.
The flowering stalks reach 6½ feet high, and they'll need a fence to lean over or a tie to keep them from toppling. Perfect for the back of the border, they smile over the heads of lesser flowers, adding nice vertical accents to your planting. And because they like rich soil (hollyhocks are barnyard plants, loving all that composted manure!) you can plant them with your showy annuals, too.
Hardy from one end of the country to the other, this Hollyhock loves plenty of sunshine and well-drained soil. Feed it heavily during growth, and you will be richly rewarded for several summers!
Sowing Instructions
Sow late winter to mid summer on to a good quality moist seed sowing compost Cover well with 5mm of vermiculite.
Place and seal inside a polythene bag or propagator and maintain a temp of 18 to 20 C
Germination should take place after 7 to 21 days.
Plug sowing is by far the best option, as Hollyhock does not like the root disturbance of pricking out and can be susceptible to damping off.
Transplant seedlings when large enough to handle into 7.5cm (3in) pots. Plant in the greenhouse in individual large pots, or 3 plants per grow bag when 20cm (8in) high. Can be planted outdoors, 45cm (18in) apart once all frost risk has passed
Suitable for the vegetable garden, allotments and containers
Be prepared to water well and supplement feed with high-potash feed during season. Regular feeding is recommended