How to Grow Hollyhocks

Hi this is Yolanda from Vanveen Bulbs and in this section we are going to talk about how to grow hollyhocks. Hollyhocks can grow in almost any zone. They are an amazing plant. They can handle really cold climates and they can handle really warm climates. And the easiest way to start them is from seed. They are really easy to grow and you almost have to be careful cause I planted one plant in a flower bed and within a couple of years the whole bed was just totally covered with hollyhocks. So now I only grow them in containers because they can really take over. So you almost have to be careful with them. So you collect the seeds in the fall right after they are done blooming, you collect the seeds and then you start them in the early spring. And there's a few easy ways that you can start the seeds. So you can put the seeds right inside a paper towel and then wet down that paper towel and leave it in a plastic bag, and then wait a couple of days and keep checking on it and you'll find that they'll eventually sprout. And once it's sprouted then you just sit it right in the ground and it will grow a beautiful hollyhock plant. You don't have to start the seeds indoors either. You can always just put them right into the ground in the fall, the winter or the spring and they'll come up. They are such a wonderful plant to grow cause they just are easy to grow, you can't really mess them up as long as you give them some water and sun. You can start them in seed starter trays too that 's another easy way to get them to grow cause then they make a nice set of roots and then when you transplant them they have a more of a success rate. But I've never lost a hollyhock in my life so. Nice seed starter mix is the best, they like good composted soil, but if you are using the little seed starter trays, put some seed starter mix in it, it's really light and porous. And that way they will grow immediately. Just add some water and make sure to start them when it's not freezing at night at all and that it's starting to get a little bit warmer during the day and that way they'll start to grow and then you can transplant them into a sunny spot and get blooms all summer long. In the fall when they die back, just cut them down to the ground because they'll grow back the next year really well. And the seeds will multiply everywhere. Another trick is after they've bloomed and before they really turn to seed if you chop them out then the seeds won't get all over your garden and you can still enjoy them without having them multiply everywhere.