Things Needed

Hollyhock is a late spring and early summer blossom perennial enjoyed for its large , brilliant flowers . Of the approximately 60 unlike mintage of althaea ( Alcea rosea ) , blossom color are found in red , royal , pink , chickenhearted and white . Some species arise to 8 feet in pinnacle . This drought - resistive industrial plant is down - maintenance , growing in effect in hardiness plant zones 4 through 10 in full sunshine .

Step 1

plant life year - old hollyhock works from the nursery or garden snapper in early springtime . verify the last insensate frost , in your location , has passed . you could plant these perennials by seed , but they will not flower the first year . Dig a hole deeply enough to accommodate the original pot sizing . conflate a fistful of compost into the soil at the bottom to add nutrients and to ameliorate water drainage .

Step 2

Remove the althea plant from the container . Place it in the hole . Mix the territory you dug from the muddle with another handful of compost . Pour the grease mixture around the original roots and soil , pack it down mildly with your finger . You are finished when the soil is even with the top of the original potted dirt .

Step 3

irrigate the plants , until the soil is surcharge , correctly after planting . Although hollyhocks are drouth - resistant , they enjoy a consistent watering schedule , a couple of times a workweek . If your weather becomes super hot and juiceless , add another lachrymation to the hebdomadary schedule . As winter appears , weewee these perennials once a week at the most . When the plant is in its dormant stage , it requires less wet . wintertime haste will tender all the moisture the hollyhock needs .

Step 4

Fertilize the hollyhock plant life two times per year , once in the early natural spring as it begin the growing cycle per second , and again in the fall to sustain it through the wintertime . Use a balanced plant food , such as 10 - 10 - 10 or 15 - 15 - 15 . These are the numbers on the front of the fertilizer container , refer to the per centum of atomic number 7 , phosphorus and K in that order .

Step 5

dress the John Brown or yellowing leaves off the plant as they seem . Pinch off the fatigued bloom as they pass . This will allow the hollyhock plant draw more food to growth and bloom . It will also cause prime to grow more profusely and subside the germ product .

Step 6

Cut the plant to nearly priming coat degree in the fall , if you notice hollyhock rust fungus . This is a fungal disease cause chickenhearted and brown spot on the stems and foliage and is the primary disease problem for this plant . Burn the cut folio and branches to destroy the fungus . The new leaves that arrive the next bound should be disease - free . Start a fungicide handling the next spring . If it resurface , repeat the outgrowth .

References

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