Alcea rosea

Alcea rosea — the hollyhock

Alcea rosea is the botanical name for the hollyhock, the towering, old-fashioned cottage-garden flower whose tall spires of saucer blooms are a quintessential image of summer. A short-lived perennial usually grown as a biennial, it sits among our biennial flowers within the wider flower seed collection.

History & origin

The hollyhock has been grown for so long that its exact wild origin is uncertain, but it is thought to come from China and south-western Asia. It reached Europe in the Middle Ages, possibly carried back from the Middle East around the time of the Crusades, and its old English name — from “holy” and “hock” (a mallow) — may recall that journey from the Holy Land. By Tudor times it was a beloved garden flower, and it has stood by cottage walls and doorways ever since.

Its botanical name reflects its family and colour: Alcea derives from the Greek name for a mallow, and rosea means “rose-coloured.”

Botanical characteristics

A statuesque plant reaching two metres or more, the hollyhock sends up tall spikes hung with large single or double flowers in pink, red, white, yellow, apricot and near-black. As a member of the mallow family its open, nectar-rich blooms are a magnet for bees, so it features among our bee-friendly and pollinator flowers. It is perfect at the back of a border or against a sunny wall, and self-seeds to return year after year.

Growing Alcea rosea from seed

Grown as a biennial, hollyhocks are sown in early summer to flower the following year, or in spring to flower a little later. Give them deep, rich soil, full sun and shelter from strong wind, and stake the tall spikes in exposed spots. Leave a few seed heads and they will happily self-seed. Our flower growing guide and flower sowing calendar cover the timing.

Ready to grow hollyhocks? Browse the varieties or learn the basics first.

Related categories: Biennial Flowers · Pollinator Flowers · Bee-Friendly Flowers · Cut Flowers · All Flower Seeds

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