HOLLYHOCK

A. rosea (hollyhock)

There was a time when all hollyhocks were biennials, bearing flowers only during the summer after the year they were planted. Today, seed catalogs list annual varieties that make robust plants 4 to 6 feet tall and flower the first season--and with luck bloom the second year as well. Their tall stalks bear great numbers of single, semidouble and double flowers, 4 inches or more across, some with frilled edges, in red, rose, pink and yellow, as well as white.

USES. Hollyhocks, natives of the Orient, are dramatic enough to make attention-getting accent plants but look best in rows against a wall, fence or garage. They need sun and average soil.

HOW TO GROW:

Sow seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost is due. When the first true leaves appear, transplant the seedlings into individual 3-inch pots and grow them in a cold frame until you can be sure the temperature will not drop below 50° at night. Then set them into the garden about 12 to 24 inches apart. The annual varieties grow quickly in a relatively dry time of the year, hence are rarely bothered by the rust disease that often disfigures the biennials. If orange-brown spots do appear on the leaves, dust the plants at weekly intervals with a fungicide. Spider mites can be a problem.