July 8, 2007

Garden tidbits of interest
Fun Hollyhock trivia provided for you byWuv'n Acres©




DID YOU KNOW???

  • Hollyhocks were often planted next to outhouses long ago. Why, you ask?
    So that in the event visitors came calling, a lady need not announce in front of everyone her need to use the privy. (Toilet) As the hollyhocks were next to the outhouse, one merely asked where the hollyhocks were, and when pointed in the direction, did not need to reveal if she were going to admire the hollyhocks or do something else while there. Ah, such a lady-like gesture! So if you have an outhouse, be sure to plant a few next to it even just for fun.

  • Deer don't like to eat Hollyhocks. So if you live in an area populated by garden diners, don't worry about your hollyhocks. What else do they find unappetizing? Bleeding heart, Calla lilies, Columbine, Larkspur, Evening Primrose, Foxglove, Iris, Lamb's Ears, Lavendar, Marigold, Poppy, Coneflower, Sage, Thyme, Mullein, Wormwood and Zinnia just to name a few!

  • In the 1982 edition of Guiness Book of World Records, it is recorded that the tallest Hollyhock in the world (please note, this is reported, but not photographed) is one of 24 feet 3 inches tall grown by W.P. Walshe of Eastbourne, E. Sussex, England in 1961. Gosh, I don't mean to be the doubting Thomas, but I sure wish there was a picture!

  • In 1921, Elizabeth Gest; pianist and composer, produced "HOLLYHOCKS"...
    a progressive series composition which goes as follows:

    The Hollyhocks stand straight and tall
    like captains in command. If they could walk, I'm sure they'd march like soldiers, to a band.
    From 'A Day in My Garden' by Elizabeth Gest

  • In the 2004 edition of Guiness Book of World Records, George Palmer of the UK was reported to have grown a 19 foot 7 inch tall Alcea rosea in 1978.

  • In Los Angeles exists a Hollyhock house....visit when you have a moment to browse!

  • The name "Hollyhock" is a mixture of two words. HOC was often a term used for mallow, a smaller, though closely related species. Because it was brought about during the middle ages, thus the "holy" part. Combined, they form "HOLY HOC" or "HOCK" as we have come to know it. Althaea rosea has now become known in the genus Alcea. Genus Althaea / Alcea, family Malvaceae Named by Linnaeus, who used both Alcea (Latin) and Althea (Greek) from the Greek word meaning 'to cure'. Often said to have first reached Europe in the 16th century. It was them used as a medicinal and also a culinary herb. Hollyhocks are among the oldest cultivated plants.

  • The term "Old Fashioned Hollyhock" does not refer to just any hollyhock. The true old fashioned hollyhocks do indeed very much resemble a small Hibiscus flower, yet the foliage remains the typical Hollyhock foliage. You can't mistake an old fashioned for those of today's gardens, often blended, hybrid, etc. When you see a true old fashioned hock, you know it.



  • Fertilizing

  • When to plant

  • Which variety is which?

  • Cross pollination issues

  • Cleaning up after your Hocks

  • Our available colors in seed form

  • Diseases and pest of the Hollyhock

  • Harvesting seeds / cutting back stalks

  • Did you know? Fun trivia about hollyhocks

  • Full sun / part sun / location for your hollyhocks

  • Moving your plants from one location to another



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