Alcea bare roots

About

Could there be a more archetypal cottage garden plant than Alcea or hollyhocks ? The answer is, no—except these beautiful, tall border plants are enjoying a much-deserved revival, and these days are just as at home in front of a modern, or contemporary home as they are a chocolate-box cottage. Much work has taken place in the past few decades, particularly in The Netherlands, to breathe new life and colour into the humble hollyhock , and now you can enjoy the benefits of this work. There are more than 80 species of Alcea , and they sit firmly in the beautiful mallow family. There are annuals, biennials and short-lived perennials, and all are native to Asia and Europe. Almost the complete hollyhock colour spectrum is available from Farmer Gracy: from the mixed shades (pinks, creams, reds and maroons) of 'Hollyhock Mix', to the near-black of Alcea 'Nigra'. Traditionally, gardeners would sow biennial hollyhocks in summer, for flowering the following year. These days, short-lived perennial hollyhocks are easier to plant and nurture, and as they are generous self-seeders, you can be certain of many generations of hollyhocks to appear in your gardens for years to come. Alcea are best in a sunny spot, and they are not fussy as to soil. They are ideal for beds and borders in cottage, wildlife and low-maintenance gardens. However, it would be wise to plant your hollyhocks in a spot sheltered from the strongest winds—these are tall, single-stemmed plants and, although they do not require staking, a strong gust can do them harm. Even better, these plants are pollinator-friendly and rodent-resistant (so no little mice gnawing at the stems).