topic Re: Question about Hollyhocks in Garden

Question about Hollyhocks

lovesallanimals — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 23:32:08 GMT

I am at my wit's end with climbing vines/flowers. Two years ago I bought that vine called Hot lips from Cottage Farm, only green leaves are growing not one single flower, just tons of leaves (I am ripring it out in the fall). This spring I planted three Hollyhocks, could not wait to see those huge red flowers, again- nada, zilch, nothing but huge leaves. What on earth am I doing wrong? I have good soil, manure, feed everything, etc. I am about to give up and rip these out also.

Re: Question about Hollyhocks

mysterylady — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 00:26:22 GMT

Some years ago (before they were popular - maybe 50) I had the most beautiful hanging geranium basket. Lush and full but it never bloomed. A local gardener suspected I had done so much fertilizing that all the strength went into the leaves without setting buds. Just a possibility.

Re: Question about Hollyhocks

ValuSkr — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 00:57:46 GMT

You may be fertilizing with too much nitrogen - it will inhibit flowering. Phosphorus is the nutrient that promotes more flowering. Miracle-Gro has a Bloom Booster that you mix with water.

Re: Question about Hollyhocks

lovesallanimals — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 02:02:46 GMT

Thank you for your suggestions. I will try the Miracle-gro and see if that works. The strange thing is that this year I did not feed the Red Lips at all, just water and still no flowers. It is planted right behind my butterfly bush and that is growing beautifully (the smaller ones from Cottage Farms). One of the Hollyhocks is in front of a trellis and I have not fed that one anything. Very perplexing.

Re: Question about Hollyhocks

LooPY — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 02:09:00 GMT

Ooh--love, don't be too quick to rip them out! My experience with Cottage Farms is, despite what Philip promises, the plants generally don't flower the first year. Give them their second year and chances are they'll do quite a bit better. By the third year, you'll likely have a glorious display of blooms. They need time to settle in. Your patience will pay off, I promise!

Re: Question about Hollyhocks

Carmie — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 02:19:05 GMT

Hollyhocks are a biannual plant. Biennial plants simply don't produce flowers until their second year. Some other common flowering biennials are forget-me-nots, foxgloves.

Let them grow for another year. Hopefully, they will have blooms.

Re: Question about Hollyhocks

JustJazzmom — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 03:14:01 GMT

Miracle Gro is high in nitrogen-- look at the 3 numbers on the bag/box. The first number listed is nitrogen-- this encourages foliage or green leaves, the 2nd is for phosphorus and encourages flower formation and buds to form and finally the 3rd number is for potassium which is for general plant growth.

Try and find fertilizers with low nitrogen and higher phosphorus levels. Any product that has a nitrogen level of 11 or higher is too much if you are trying to encourage blooms.

Miracle Gro Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food from their website:

Fertilizer Analysis of above product:

24-8-16 Too high in nitrogen!!!
Link to Miracle Gro Product that has as its numbers 10-10 10-- this looks to be the best of the bunch of products Miracle Gro offers.

IMO, I wouldn't buy Miracle Gro but would buy Espoma Plant Tone-- its organic and has all a plant needs and its slow release vs. quick release the way many Miracle Gro products work.

Re: Question about Hollyhocks

lucymo — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 23:19:51 GMT

Yes, as Carmie said, Hollyhocks are a bi-annual plant. Blooming in their second year and most die after blooming, but will reseed themselves. I love the plants and so do bees.

Re: Question about Hollyhocks

lovesallanimals — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 23:54:47 GMT

Thank you everyone for all your suggestions. OK, I will give them a chance and not rip them out, but I really wanted something that blooms every year and did not realize they bloom every other year. Do I cut the leaves down before the winter? And from what I gather, they only bloom one year am I correct and reseed so that I should get more flowers.

Re: Question about Hollyhocks

JustJazzmom — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 02:25:45 GMT

On 9/1/2014 loveour4leggedfriends said:
Thank you everyone for all your suggestions. OK, I will give them a chance and not rip them out, but I really wanted something that blooms every year and did not realize they bloom every other year. Do I cut the leaves down before the winter? And from what I gather, they only bloom one year am I correct and reseed so that I should get more flowers.

Yes, once the leaves and stems turn brown you can cut the stalks down for the winter. Once the ground freezes you can use some mulch over the centers of the hollyhocks (to keep their crowns warm over the winter months(.

Re: Question about Hollyhocks

Campion — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 12:25:20 GMT

Hollyhocks aren't that fussy (they are kind of a weed in a way--related to mallows and okra, cotton and hibiscus.) They like compost and a slow-release, high-phosphorus fertilizer such as a 16-20-0 blend.

IN GENERAL (as has been pointed out here) flowering plants like phosphorus and too much nitrogen leads to great leafy things but no blooms.

We used to have a mantra; nitrogen for leaves, potash for roots, phosphorus for blooms.

By the way, a very pretty combination of flowers is tall hollyhocks and monarda (bee balm) in front. The bee balm are red (frequently) and you can mix with pale pink hollyhocks or those black ones that I just love. Or the white with red centers.

I'm not a great gardener (the last two places I've lived have had bad soil and a bad exposure and layout) but I'd love to plant these next year on the side of the house with sun.

Re: Question about Hollyhocks

bells4me — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 16:42:56 GMT

I have Hollyhocks everywhere. The seeds must blow because my neighbor planted some seeds along a fence we share four years ago. They are over 4' tall now & I have plants popping up everywhere. We don't mulch them or do anything & they come back every year.

Re: Question about Hollyhocks

terrier3 — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 13:20:58 GMT

On 9/1/2014 loveour4leggedfriends said:
Thank you everyone for all your suggestions. OK, I will give them a chance and not rip them out, but I really wanted something that blooms every year and did not realize they bloom every other year. Do I cut the leaves down before the winter? And from what I gather, they only bloom one year am I correct and reseed so that I should get more flowers.

Just buy some extra plants next spring. Plant them in with your 2nd year plants. Then you should always have some flowering.

Re: Question about Hollyhocks

lulu2 — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 14:35:41 GMT

We have Hollyhocks that date back to at least the 60's. They reseed all over the yard. Hurricane Sandy must have transported some new varieties because the last 2 summers we had different colors as well as the double variety. I have never fertilized any of them. Sometimes I think it is better to let Mother Nature tend to the garden. We cut them down after they flower then just let them be. (no mulch)