How to grow hollyhock (Alcea rosea)

Alcea rosea · common hollyhock

Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) — a tall short-lived perennial or biennial, 1.5–2.4 m high, with stiff spikes of large single or double funnel- or cup-shaped flowers in shades of purple, red and yellow from June to August. It flowers in the second year after sowing and is non-toxic to cats, dogs and horses. Hollyhock grows best in full sun. Water it about every 7 days while it grows.

Updated: October 28, 2026

When to sow hollyhock?

Sow for seedlings about 9 weeks before planting out.

It tolerates light frost: plant out in open ground about three weeks before your last spring frost.

It flowers about 470 days after the shoots appear and keeps flowering for about 60 days.

Frost dates · When to plant

Quick facts

Type	Flower
Latin name	Alcea rosea
Family	Malvaceae
Also called	common hollyhock
Planted as	seed
How it is started	from seedlings or sown straight into the bed
Life span	perennial
Planting season	spring
Light	Full sun
Frost	tolerates light frost
Soil for sowing	from 10 °C
Germination	12 days
Pricking out	24 days after the shoots appear
Seedlings ready	48 days
First flowers	470 days after the shoots appear
Flowering lasts	60 days
Grown in	Open ground

How long does hollyhock take from sowing to flowering?

From sowing to the first flowers: about 482 days, or 69 weeks.

Step	Day
Sowing	0
Shoots appear	12
Pricking out	36
Seedlings ready to plant out	60
First flowers	482
End of flowering	542

Days count from the day of sowing or planting, by the figures of the card.

Where does hollyhock grow?

54,755 records of the plant in gardens, fields and the wild worldwide; most photos come from France, Germany, United Kingdom, Russia, and United States.

World map: where hollyhock has been recorded — Darker green means more records. Photos are real observations from those countries — tap one to see it. Map and records: GBIF.org (2026-10-28), © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap. Photo: bocquentin.frederique, iainscott, UncleD, oldcrow321, Steve Kembel, Chérif-Jacques Allali, Jacques Morel, Chapela María Eugenia (CC BY / CC0).

Hollyhock, France — Darker green means more records. Photos are real observations from those countries — tap one to see it. Map and records: GBIF.org (2026-10-28), © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap. Photo: bocquentin.frederique, iainscott, UncleD, oldcrow321, Steve Kembel, Chérif-Jacques Allali, Jacques Morel, Chapela María Eugenia (CC BY / CC0).

Hollyhock care by growth stage

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 2 days	—	—
Growth	every 7 days	—	—
Flowering	every 7 days	—	—

Growing notes

Light

Full sun gives the tallest flower spikes; it takes light shade. Choose a spot sheltered from strong wind, such as the back of a border or along a wall.

Soil

Grows in any garden soil but prefers fertile, moist, well-drained sandy to clay loam rich in organic matter.

Care

Sow indoors in April or May at 16–21 °C — seedlings appear in one to two weeks — or straight into the bed in May or June. Prick out three to four weeks after germination and plant out 60 cm apart. Protect young plants from slugs. Keep the top 15 cm of soil damp for the first few months, then water only in long dry or hot spells. No feeding is needed in good soil; mulch with 10 cm of garden compost. Tie the stems to stakes in a windy garden. Cut the spikes to the ground when the flowers fade, or leave a few to self-seed. Rust is the main problem — pick off badly infected leaves in summer, clear all dead leaves in autumn and replace plants every few years. Watch also for flea beetles and spider mites.

Pests and diseases of Hollyhock

4 problems are recorded for hollyhock; each has a page with symptoms, treatment and prevention.

Hollyhock: all pests and diseases with photos

Diseases

Pests

Other plants of the Malvaceae family

Hollyhock belongs to Malvaceae; 3 other plants of this family have a guide here.

Plant lists it is in

Cold-hardy crops for early spring

Part of: Garden flowers · Perennial garden flowers · Flowers to sow straight into the bed

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.