Hollyhocks

I have always loved hollyhocks. I have the fondest memory of a hollyhock fragrance from my childhood in Lyons, Illinois. My grandmother grew hollyhocks and it is maddening that I have yet to find a hollyhock that smells like what I remember.

Below are pictures of bright red hollyhocks grown from seeds sent to me by a resort owner in Ontario Canada. We have fished there for years and it dawned on me to ask if I could get some seeds from them. She said, "when they go to seed I will save some for you". She did send me seeds and it took two years from germination to bloom. I hope you enjoy these  Hollyhocks originated from Canada. These Holly's are close to six feet tall, growing in very fertile soil.

Ten Simple Steps to Grow a Glorious Flower Garden

• If you want to create the flower garden of your dreams you need to start with the question what is my vision. 

• What are my favorite colors. Do I want to grow flowers for myself, others or both.          
• Do I want to take beautiful pictures of flowers to feed my photography passion.                            
• Is my aim to create a breathtaking flower garden because I simply love flowers

• Do I want my children to grow up surrounded by beauty.

     Let's start with a taste of popular flowers:

    Perennial:  Tall Bearded Iris - Batik 

 

Tall bearded Iris are some of the most popular varieties of Iris. There are thousands of varieties and the rhizomes spread (multiply and get thick) and have to be thinned periodically in order to have a maximum bloom. This is a great flower to share with friends and neighbors and trade. The great thing about Iris is they 'thrive on neglect' in a sense. Very hardy flower.

Annual:  Zinnia 

Zinnias are a hardy Annual that blooms and re-blooms all summer.You can grow giant zinnias , medium zinnias or miniature zinnias (lilliputians)

Some zinnia seed packets are a mixed bag of colors, with yellow, orange, red, purple, pink. They remain attractive in a vase for a long time 

Perennial:   Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum's come in many pastels and are easy to grow. Since they are a perennial they will come back year after year, but it is a good idea to cover them lightly with leaves in the fall (to protect them from a possible severe winter).  Mums are an ideal flower to make cuttings from in early spring, for a fall bloom. I have often used spring Mum cuttings that grew and bloomed in time for my autumn flower boxes.

Chrysanthemums grow well in 12' flower pots with a saucer underneath to hold water. In this way the soil stays moist on a fairly consistent basis. Without the saucer the soil will dry out to often and the bloom will be affected. The Mum plant grows great in the garden and will tend to spread. You will want to manage the size of the plant. You can transplant the part you want to remove to keep the plant from becoming a bush.