Alcea rugosa

RUSSIAN HOLLYHOCK

Alcea rugosa
RUSSIAN HOLLYHOCK

Alcea rugosa, the Russian Hollyhock, has charming, simple, soft lemon singles.

Soft lemon singles with long eye-lashes

Single blooms are large, wide open, and with long, eye lash stamens.
So they are very charming in all their simplicity.

Blooms all way round the stems

With the blooms borne all the way round the stems (not just on one side), beaming out, and opening from the bottom successively all the way up the stem. 

Tall upright & very impressive

Flower stems are up to 1.8m. tall and strongly upright – so the whole plant is very impressive.

Handsome foliage

While the leaves are large, handsome, deeply lobes (like grape leaves) and wrinkled.
They make a striking textural contrast in the garden, even when the plants are not in bloom.

Cut flower stems for majestic flower arrangements

While the towering flower stems can be cut for majestic flower arrangements, or left to reel in the bees and other beneficial pollinating insects.
Alcea rugosa easily earns it’s space in the garden – for beauty, hardiness, foliage and cut flowers.

Charmingly simple but super hardy

Alcea rugosa can run rings round it’s more highly bred cousins for disease resistance and ability to withstand less than ideal conditions.

Robustly healthy & rust resistant

Russian Hollyhock is a highly rust resistant, and more hardy variety of Hollyhock than modern cultivars.
So your clump produces multiple flower spires over a number of seasons, instead of being just  short lived.
And is not spoilt by rusty blotched leaves later in the season.

Long blooming

Then rewards with a very long and continuous blooming season from late spring on, continually popping spires right into autumn.
If you cut back spent spires – this will encourage the next crop of spires even more quickly.

Tough & easy to grow

Alcea rugosa is tough and easily grown in Full Sun to Part Shade.
And as a wild species – it is much more forgiving and tenacious than the highly bred, modern whimps.
Flower stems are stout and strong.

Copes in a wide range of soils

Sandy, rocky spots, and soils with low fertility are all suitable.
Plus Alcea rugosa thrives in soils with either acid, alkaline or neutral pH.
Though it cannot tolerate waterlogged soils.

Hardy and in heat, dry, frost

As a native of Ukraine and southern Russia, Alcea rugosa is no stranger to extremes of heat, dry and minimal water in summer, and cold and frost in winter.

Water-wise & suits coastal or dry gardens

This wonderful species Hollyhock is very water-wise, thriving on low water-usage.
Which also makes it suitable for coastal gardens and exposed sites.

Low maintenance

Alcea rugosa is a thoroughly low maintenance plant, only needing to have the spent flower stems cut to the ground after the flowering season.
And it will gently self seed for you in suitable conditions, to form impressive clumps, without ever becoming a nuisance.

Favourite for bees butterflies & nectar sipping birds

Native and honey bees, butterflies and night flying moths, as well as the tiny nectar sipping native birds – are all attracted to these towering supermarkets of nectar.
The stems are strong enough to support all comers.

Rabbit & deer resistant

Rabbits and deer do not particularly like the taste of Alcea rugosa and usually leave it alone.
Though if they are starving they will certainly nibble.

SEED SOWING ADVICE: QUICK & EASY
Suitable for beginners & kids

Sow seeds of Alcea rugosa at any time indoors in punnets, whenever suitable temperatures can be provided (15-20°C)
OR
Scatter directly in garden from late winter to spring.

Sow indoors for quick plants & early flowers: First sow the seeds on the surface of good quality seed raising mix.
Then pat gently into the surface of the mix and only just barely cover with sieved mix, sand or vermiculite.

Now thoroughly moisten the sown punnet by standing it in a shallow water bath.
And allowing the moisture to percolate up to the surface of the mix from below.

Then place the moist, sown punnet in a warm, well-lit position (not in any direct sunlight).
You can use a temperature controlled heat mat if you have one, but it is not essential.
A warm, well lit place will do well.

Temperatures of 15-20°C approx. are best for rapid and optimum germination.

And continue to keep moist by placing a plastic lid or bag over the sown punnet, and misting the mix surface with a spray water bottle when required.

Seedlings emerge in approx. 14-21 days.

Seed Count: 10 seeds per pack approx.
(We always aim to exceed the stated seed count, and give a generous serve).

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