PlantFiles: Hollyhock
Alcea rosea 'Summer Carnival Mix'

I planted some this spring and have plants with some buds but fairly short. I didn't know they were biennial so I assume I will have blooms next year and then no plant the following year. Hope they self seed as others say. The flowers are gorgeous, like crepe paper and 3" across. I get about 5-6 at a time. the leaves do get that funny orange stuff on them which I assume is the scale that others refer to. We have fairly wet cool summers (55-65F on average)

The blooms came out really frilly just as described. They really needed staking support not to flop over. My disappointment with them was that only two or three buds would flower at a time on each stalk, I was hoping to have a tower of blooms at once :/

Warning for southern California: I had serious trouble with scale infesting my hollyhocks and the rubbing alcohol didn't work to get them off. The plants made it to bloom and seed, but the scale seriously uglified the leaves :/

HOLLYHOCK - Alcea SUMMER CARNIVAL Shortest at 30" Plant 18" apart. Zone 3-9. Blooms first year with double flowers in red ,white, yellow, pink and purple.
Plant Care:
Although biennial, just allow seeds to fall and the clump will persist for many many years. Rust can be a problem in high humidity. Best selection for the coldest areas (zones 3 & 4), not for the gulf states. Plants can be cut back by one-half when 15-18" high to control height.

From a February sowing in my basement in 2005, I had 6, 5-6' plants full of flowers by August 2005! Great color and no disease whatsoever! I will be growing again! Although I am not sure if these will loose color and revert to white in the second year, like most of this type do. I will report back.