Short-lived perennial
How to grow hollyhocks
Alcea rosea
Sow hollyhocks in pots from May to July, plant them out in September or October in full sun at the foot of a wall or fence, and they flower the following July to September. They need deep, well-drained soil for the tap root, a cane against the wind, and a relaxed attitude to rust, the orange leaf disease that nearly every plant gets. Treat them as biennials and raise new plants each year, and rust stays manageable.
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy biennial / short-lived perennial
- Position
- Full sun, sheltered
- Soil
- Deep, fertile, free-draining
- Ideal pH
- 6.0 to 7.5
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Moderate feeder
Sowing and planting hollyhocks
WhenSow May to Jul for flowers the next year; flowers Jul to Sep
Starting off
Sow May to Jul in 9 cm pots outdoors or in a cold frame, 1 cm deep, germination 10 to 14 days at 15 to 20 °C; plant out Sep to Oct for flowers next Jul. A Feb sowing at 18 °C flowers the same year. Self-sown seedlings transplant in Apr while small.
Spacing and planting
Plant 45 to 60 cm apart against a wall or fence; sow 1 cm deep. Not a container plant; the tap root needs deep soil.
Varieties worth growing
- A. rosea 'Nigra'
- Single flowers of glossy maroon-black with a yellow throat on 2 m stems; the classic against a pale wall.
- A. rosea Chater's Double Group
- Fully double, peony-like flowers in separate colours or a mix; the cottage-garden double, though less use to bees than singles.
- A. rosea Halo Series
- Large singles with a contrasting eye, such as 'Halo Apricot' and 'Halo Blush'; sturdy stems to 1.8 m.
- A. ficifolia
- The fig-leaved hollyhock, with lobed leaves and single flowers in yellow, pink and copper; longer-lived and often said to be less troubled by rust, though not immune.
- A. rugosa
- Russian hollyhock: soft primrose-yellow singles on a bushier, properly perennial plant, and reported to have good resistance to rust.
Hollyhocks month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Nothing to do.
- February
Sow under cover at 18 °C if you want to try for flowers this year.
- March
Feed established plants and mulch. Remove any rusted old leaves left at the base.
- April
Move self-sown seedlings while small. Prick out and pot on February sowings.
- May
Sow in 9 cm pots outdoors for next year. Plant out February sowings. Stake stems at 60 cm.
- June
Sow. Tie in rising stems. Pick off the first rusted lower leaves.
- July
Last sowings. Flowering starts. Water young pot-grown plants.
- August
Flowering. Keep removing rusted leaves from the bottom up.
- September
Plant out this year's seedlings 45 to 60 cm apart. Cut spent spikes or leave one for seed.
- October
Finish planting out. Collect dry seed.
- November
Cut all stems to 10 cm and bin every scrap of leaf and stem.
- December
Nothing to do.
Feeding hollyhocks
A moderate feeder that wants one balanced feed and a mulch in spring. Nothing after that: extra nitrogen makes soft, rust-prone leaves and a spindly spike.
A balanced feed for the tall spires; rich soil supports the height.
Feeding plan
Planting out, September to October
Garden compost
A spadeful forked into the planting hole. No fertiliser in autumn.
March
About 100 g/m², the label rate. At 45 to 60 cm spacing each plant covers 0.2 to 0.36 m², so 20 to 35 g scattered round it and lightly forked in. Once only; do not repeat the label's 5 to 6 week top-up.
March, after feeding
Garden compost
A 5 cm mulch round the plant, kept clear of the crown, to hold moisture at the foot of a dry wall.
Signs to watch
Lush leaves and a spindly spike
Nitrogen excess
No further feed
Small flowers on a third-year plant
Ageing
Resow
Pests, diseases and problems
Orange-brown raised spots under the leaves, yellow flecks above, lower leaves shrivelling and hanging
Hollyhock rust, a fungus that overwinters on old leaves and stems and on wild mallows
Pick off the lowest leaves at the first spots, space plants 60 cm apart for air, and water at the base. Cut everything to 10 cm in November and bin it, never compost it. Raise fresh plants each year and try A. ficifolia or A. rugosa. Do not overfeed: soft growth rusts worse.
Seedlings and the leaves of young plants eaten to the ribs
Slugs and snails
Grow on in 9 cm pots to a good size before planting out, then protect with wool pellets or a torch patrol for the first few weeks.
Flower stems leaning or snapped at the base after wind
A 2 m stem with no support, often in soil too rich or too shaded
Put in a 1.5 to 2 m cane when the stem reaches 60 cm and tie every 30 cm. Plant where a wall or fence gives shelter.
Plant fails to reappear in spring
Crown rotted in cold wet soil, or simply old age; hollyhocks are short-lived
Add grit on heavy soil and plant at the dry foot of a sunny wall. Keep a few young plants coming along each year.
Shoot tips and buds crowded with green or black insects
Aphids
Rub off or wash off with a jet of water; ladybirds and hoverflies usually catch up by July.
Pruning
Pruning and care
Stake each stem with a 1.5 to 2 m cane at 60 cm tall, tying every 30 cm. Cut spent spikes to the base in Sep or leave one for seed. Cut all stems to 10 cm in Nov and bin them.
Good to knowStake against wind. Let it self-seed.
Growing hollyhocks in pots
Hollyhocks are not container plants. The tap root goes down 60 cm or more, the stem reaches 2 m, and a pot gives neither the depth nor the anchorage, so plants dry out, stunt and blow over. Pots are for raising them only: sow in 9 cm pots, pot on once into a deep 1 litre pot if planting is delayed, and get them into the ground by October before the tap root coils.
Hollyhocks: common questions
How do I get rid of rust on hollyhocks?
You cannot remove it completely, but you can keep it down without sprays. Pick off spotted lower leaves as soon as they appear, give plants space and sun, cut all growth to 10 cm in November and bin it, and replace plants with new seedlings every year or two. Alcea rugosa and Alcea ficifolia are reported to be less affected, though neither is immune.
Do hollyhocks come back every year?
Sometimes: they are biennials or short-lived perennials, so a plant may flower for two or three summers before fading. Most gardeners sow a few each year or let them self-seed, which keeps a colony going indefinitely.
Do hollyhocks flower in the first year?
Not from a normal summer sowing: seed sown in May to July makes a leafy rosette and flowers the following July. Seed sown in February under cover at 18 °C may flower late in the same summer, but do not count on it.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.
- How to grow hollyhocksRHS
- Hollyhock rustRHS
- How to grow hollyhocksBBC Gardeners' World Magazine