Propagating hollyhocks - It's so easy to grow new plants

Hollyhocks are not only beautiful, they also require little care. If you can't get enough of it, you can easily sow it.

Propagating hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) is one of the simplest tasks in the garden. Propagation from seeds works so well that you don't need to bother with cumbersome methods. You can get the seeds for many different varieties of hollyhocks in any garden shop and also online (e.g. here).

But the best thing about hollyhocks is that you always have seeds in your own garden when they have bloomed.

» Wait for the hollyhocks to multiply and move young plants

After the hollyhock blooms, the dried inflorescences fall off and release the seeds, allowing new plants to grow in their place. You can let this natural self-reproduction run free or move the young plants to a desired location. To do this, pierce the earth with a spade around the hollyhock from all sides deeply and inwards. This gives you a compact block of earth that tapers towards the bottom with the root system of the plant. You can put this in a prepared hole in the ground at the new location.

Tip: The young plants grow particularly well in sunny and wind-protected locations - for example on a south-facing house wall.

» Sow hollyhocks specifically in the garden

If you harvest the dried inflorescences, you can multiply the hollyhocks in a targeted manner and save yourself the trouble of transplanting the young plants. Sowing the hollyhocks in the garden is recommended between May and September. To do this, follow these steps:

Simply lay the seeds on the ground and cover them with a little moistened soil. Keep a distance of 40 to 60 cm. However, you can also sow them more densely and then only leave the strongest and most beautiful specimens.

If possible, choose a sunny location to ensure ideal growth of the plants.

Hollyhocks need a temperature of about 20 to germinateCentigrade. After a short waiting period of two to three weeks, the first leaves can be seen. The hollyhock does not have any particular soil requirements.

In the spring of the second year, you can add a little humus around the plants to ensure a good supply of nutrients. Cultivation in tubs as an alternative to beds is also possible. Choose very tall containers for this, as the hollyhocks develop long taproots.

Prefer and expose hollyhocks indoors

As an alternative to sowing in the garden, hollyhocks can also be grown indoors or in a bright spot in February or March. Use ordinary plant pots and potting soil for cultivation. At the end of May you can then put the young hollyhocks outdoors. With a bit of luck you can enjoy the first flowers in the same year.