A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 Oh My Gosh!!

After thinking I planted it completely wrong last year and it would never bloom, my double peach Hollyhock is busting out all over! It is just the most gorgeous thing!!! The flowers are deep peach in the center fading out to a cream color at the edges of the petals. It isn't my turn for the camera so I don't have a picture but I sure am proud of it!!

Ohhhhhhhhhhh! Fernieeeeeeeeeee!
I think I'm in love

If I can persuade you to save me a few seeds, I'd be forever greatful! I'm a Hollyhock/composting nut now. It should be on my name badge

Congratulations - I know how proud you must feel! I especially love the peach colored flowers - I'm not a 'peachy' person - not really fond of that color - but in the garden...WOW!

Oh, and PS, I'm not above begging

Add me to the list of begging. That sounds beautiful! Cannot wait until it is your turn with the camera so we can see it!

Fernie, I'm really seriously begging for a few seeds if you get some!!!! My neighbor has double Hollyhocks and they were absolutely beautifully stunning, compared to my single ones.....

No wonder you are so proud!!!!

Hey Fernie I can't get the camera back to you until payday the 3rd of August. Is it still going to be blooming then? Lord I don't know what to do. Not spend so much at JoAnn's next time I go I guess. Is there someone near buy that can snap a picture for you? I feel so bad.

Not to worry!! I took some pics with a regular camera and my daughter will have her digetal up here this weekend.

Now....how do I collect the seeds????

Fernie, here's some info I gathered on collecting Hollyhock seeds:

For a flower to produce seeds some basic things need to happen. First, the flowers need to self- or cross-pollinate. Pollination occurs when the flower is open, pollen is visible and either wind or insects carry the pollen to the center of the flower. The flower is then fertilized and the seeds begin their development. The time period for seed development varies. Flowers "go to seed" when they are not disturbed on the stem, the petals fall off and a podlike fruit forms. When the pod looks dry and begins to open, go grab your seeds.

If you have other colors of Hollyhocks nearby, when they pollinate, they may not turn out to be the same color Hopefully you have some of the same color nearby and the right pollen gets to the right Hollyhocks for the same color with the new seeds. Hope that helps!

Thanks Mary. I only have the double peach Hollyhocks so they won't cross pollinate and become a different color. Ok, I will look for the pod fruits. I hope I can get some seeds for folks. It really is a beautiful thing even tho it took 2 years to bloom.

Yep, my feeling is they're worth the wait If you plant some this year and then some again next year you'll have blooms every year. Nifty, idea if I do say so myself!

My mom's neighbor has Hollyhocks.. they grow everywhere the seeds drop! They spread like crazy! Each pod has probably 50 seeds in it, and flower does that! You'll see when the flowers naturally fall off, leave it alone.. a little flat ball will form where the flower used to be, and when it turns brown, like it's all dried up, you can pop the pod right off, and if you kinda just gently crush the outside of the pod, you'll see all these flat, disc shaped seeds.

Your Hollyhocks sound just beautiful!! And also, some Hollyhocks are considered biennual, meaning, they grow just thier green leaves the first year, and the 2nd year they get thier flowers.

Meg

They sure do have the most unique looking seeds. One good thing I have found about mine is that even when the pod is really dry, the seeds don't really disappear like some other flowers do if you dont catch them in that exact right moment. Makes gathering very easy.

Ya know I didnt think about cross pollination of seeds. Makes me glad my reds and pinks are in different places.

Ok I am excited now. I will definately be harvesting the seeds.

Since they are bienniel, does this mean the plant I have blooming now won't bloom again?

HI Fernie if you could would add me to the list for some of them peach colored Hollyhocks. i would love to have some of that color.i planted some diffrent colors this year but had no peach colored ones.you should get a lot of seeds from each pod abut 50 or more seeds per pod i will be posting a seed tradeing list soon hope we can do some tradeing or a sase.thanks your friend in gardening.mike57

No, that one won't bloom again. It lives 2 years, green in the first year, flowers in the 2nd, then dies. Some biennials look like they 'come back' because they drop seeds and send up new growth that way - but of course it's a whole new plant at that stage

Okey doke.

And here I thought mine didnt bloom cuz they got mowed over. Maybe mine are bienniel as well.

Triss I think all Hollyhocks are biennial.

Well that explains that. Guess I am going to have to save some of my seeds to plant the year after next as well as next year.

When I was a little girl the house we lived in had this big storage/wood shed alongside the alley. Since the only door faced the house the whole backside of the woodshed was Hollyhocks. I never knew they were bienniels because there was always Hollyhocks across the whole back of the shed every year. We gave them kind of a wide birth because they were always full of bees.

I seem to have a thing for biennials. I have carnations, calendrum and I have seeds for the Hollyhocks. Well at least the Hollyhocks will be going the opposite year from the rest.

HI ALL heres a link i found awhile back for mary.its a Hollyhock site with lots of imformation.
http://www.wuvie.net/hockwhento.htm
hope it helps everyone with there Hollyhocks and there seeds

Thanks Mike....I got you on my list for some double peach seeds. I love this place, I never even thought of harvesting my own seeds before!

Awesome Mike, Guess I will be planting my seeds this fall to my new areas for Hollyhock!

HI Fernie thank you for adding me to your list for some of your seeds