farewell hollyhocks

I love hollyhocks.

Really, I do.  They're about the closest thing I can get to my fantasy English Cottage garden.

When we bought this house 16 years ago, there were a few hollyhocks scattered around the property.  But it was Fall and I didn't know a thing about gardening.  Much to my delight, they all came up again the next year.

Aha! Perennials. :)

I learned that hollyhocks are extremely hardy in my neighbourhood.  They grow the most amazingly deep tap roots and self-seed like you wouldn't believe.  AND I don't have to water them.  They are quite happy with what they get from Mother Nature.

However, if there was ever an issue that would land me in divorce court, it would be my love affair with hollyhocks.

They grow so tall (8 feet!) that they require staking.  Otherwise, they eventually fall over ... across the sidewalks ... obstructing paths where people are supposed to be able to walk.

Somehow, I never quite get around to that staking part.  And my poor husband?  That drives him 'round-the-bend-banana-nuts-crazy.  I still don't know what the big deal is ... you just walk around them on the grass.  Grass can be walked on, you know. 

But he has a thing about that. 

And then when they do finally lay down and make a serious mess, it is quite the clear-cutting operation to clean them up.  The stalks are very thick & tough and the leaves are large & plentiful.  I wasn't too happy in the years when they got all gross with bugs either.  Yuck.  THAT part I could do without.

(Please note the "vintage" fahrenheit thermometer with its protective snow shield at our back door - it came with the house and it always makes me smile, even though I have to do the "subtract 30 and divide by 2" metric conversion thing.) 

I finally conceded and let him destroy all the hollyhocks along the south sides of our house & garage where they posed the biggest problem.  But I still have them at the front and here in the back - right under the kitchen window.

(Please note the window frame ... evidence of why we need a new house.  Replacing the windows here would be a waste because the roof started leaking this summer, the front stoop is crumbling away, the stucco is falling off, the insulation is substandard ... blah, blah-blah, blah-blah.)

Back to flowers.

Mine are white and several shades of pink.  I may or may not have "liberated" a few seeds from strangers' gardens under the cover of darkness.

I don't care as much for yellow & red ones.  The black ones are fascinating, but I didn't want them in my garden.  There were a few burgundy ones I removed as well.

And I also don't care for the double bloom ones.  No, I'm quite particular and favour this elegant trumpet or single bloom variety.  Explains why I also love morning glories.

But I'm sad.  I won't be able to plant them at our new house.  To say nothing about said husband's objections, we're going from a football field-sized yard (slight exaggeration) to a postage stamp-sized yard (not at all an exaggeration) and there really isn't a good spot for them.

So this was probably my last summer to enjoy these abundant and beautiful hollyhocks.

"Farewell, blossom friends.  I will miss you very much."

Comments

[A Little Blue Dragonfly]

Beautiful photography! I had never seen hollyhocks until we arrived here in Colorado at the end of the spring. They were planted around the townhouse we were renting. I didn't know what they were until weeks later when their buds opened up. Gorgeous! I can see why you love them so. :)

[Cathy]

Lovely photos of your hollyhocks; can you immortalize them in a quilt before you move? I got a laugh from your "vintage" fahrenheit reference! That is the system we still use in the USA and I have to do your math in reverse whenever we travel.

[Monique]

I would not part with them..I would pick up a few and plant at the new home:)
Love hollyhocks..They are yesteryear to me~

[dottycookie]

Well, here's something to make you smile - I do live in a cottage in the English countryside, and I do have a cottage garden, but I can't for the life of me get hollyhocks to grow here! I am very envious of yours.

[Jennifer Dessert]

Gorgeous post. I love Hollyhocks too and I am sad to say I have only a very light pink variety. I would love to have all of those hot pinks. I will have to stakeout neighbor's gardens.

[Sandy Wiehoff]

Your Hollyhocks are beautiful! I too grew up with them and they bring fond memoris of my mom and sitting in the kitchen and looking out the window where they grew. You should save all the seeds and send them to your friends!

[Andrea Franklin]

I just loved your Hollyhock post...I too have a love affair with them, which started in my Wyoming youth. I too love the pinks the most, yet am quite fond of darker more intense colors too. I understand your deep desire to "take them with you" and would definitely encourage you to "find a way" to take them with you to your new place...either in a quilt or lots of creative photo shots (like those in your post!) situated around your house or at least in your sewing room! Nothing like a Hollyhock to make you smile!

[Susan]

I love Hollyhocks and would miss mine which are few but delightful. Why not collect the seeds from the spent flowers and then plant them in a pot at your new home or in a place that wont irritate DH? I have some in a pot that are doing well and then you can move them and they don't get as tall either. Just an idea.

[greg]

Oh they are so beautiful. I don't know how you can leave them behind! Maybe you should just stay in that house?! And look at how perfect they fit into your blog header and background!

[Katharine]

I love hollyhocks as well. But I'd only ever seen them in illustrations in old fashioned children's book so when I planted some I was also very surprised to see how tall they grew.

[Nita]

Ah, very sad. But how fortunate that you have been able to enjoy them and have them in your life. You will have to do a hollyhock stitchery in their memory. :) I, on the other hand, am thrilled to be moving into an area where hollyhocks will thrive and cannot wait to plant a few (dozen).

[Barbara]

I too love hollyhocks and have many in my flower beds with iris and morning glories.
There are dwarf varieties ...... Same beautiful trumpets, same awesome colors but they don't grow so very tall.....no stakes! If you can have a shrub on your postage stamp, you might consider a Rose of Sharon ( Althea). Flowers are very similar, mine is white with a purple center.

[Nan V]

I grew up with hollyhocks, and always loved them. My mom eliminated the need for staking by purposefully planting them along the back fence. She considered them a great natural screen that hid the stuff behind our neighbor's garage. And if they got too tall, she just tied them up to the fence!

I wish I could grow them, but darn it, they won't grow in complete shade...

[Cassie]

Your Hollyhocks are gorgeous! My mother harvested Hollyhock seeds and we made seed packets, hand painted of course, to give as wedding favors when I married. Are you harvesting seeds? Be sure to give them to friends, family or (bloggers ;) who will keep your family of Hollyhocks forever blooming. Thanks for sharing!

[Lisa]

I also love hollyhocks, I worked in a flower shop for 35 years (i started working there at 12 years old) and I just loved hollyhock deliveries. You can pinch them back they will get a little bushy and shorter. You really should just cut them and enjoy them indoors. Then they won't agrivate your husband. Please design a hollyhock embroidery pattern. Photo and frame them for your new home.

[Karen Seitz]

Like others, I was going to suggest you give seeds to friends (and save some yourself) and also look for the dwarf varieties that you can plant in a pot. Also, when looking for this pattern (http://quarterseamquiltshop.com/Hollyhock-Wool-Applique-Bell-Pull-Kit-hollyhockbellpull.htm) to share with you, I came across this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Applique-Hollyhock-Quilt-Kit-Pattern-/221275587378?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33850d8332. Just trying to suggest another way to take some hollyhocks with you!!

[Tania]

Hi Kristyne, beautiful photos of beautiful flowers. I don't think I could resist sneaking one or two into the new garden...... especially when you love them that much. Gorgeous post.

[Karen in Breezy Point]

I remember my Grandmother having beautiful hollyhocks--I can't believe I've never thought to plant them for myself! I'm going to write myself a note for next year--plant hollyhocks! Yours are just gorgeous-I know you will miss them, but I hope you can find a little space for at least a few.

[Anne Beier]

Lovely post. I'm going to miss those flowers too, but not the crazy heat we've had in Ossining this summer.

[Mary Clarke]

I agree... snatch some of the seeds and put them in a large planter and put it by your door for you to always enjoy.

[Carla]

But those windows have such character! I'd be taking them with me ; ) And some seeds ; )

[Kathy]

Hi, If you would like someone to carry on your tradition, I would love some of your seeds to do it. I live in arizona but I do see them growing here. I am going to move soon, but part of my requirements is to have space for a garden to grow flowers. LMK, thanks, kathy

[Colette]

The house next door to my great grandmother who raised me had holly hocks all along the fence line. I tried to grow some here last year, but they failed miserably. Then I discovered the DH the year before had put soil sterilizer into the beds to kill poison ivy and would explain why everything I planted died. Oh well maybe next year.

[Debbie R.]

I love hollyhocks, too. And roses even more. So I can totally relate to your hollyhock farewell. We moved in May, from a big house with a huge yard, to a normal-sized house with a very small yard. And while I like the big reduction in the amount of yard work, I am so sad to have lost our two lovely large rose beds. There's not room for roses in the new place. So each time I walk the dog in our new neighbourhood, I stop to admire and smell the roses in other people's yards. It helps.
Are you sure there isn't a place for just a few perfect pink hollyhocks in your new yard ...

[vintage grey]

They are so beautiful and your photos are lovely!! Happy September! xo Heather

[Thimbleanna]

Wow -- those are some beautiful flowers! If I could have a bed of hollyhocks that beautiful, I think I'd forego normal shrubs for them. You have a green (or PINK) thumb Ms. Pretty!

[Bernie]

Hollyhocks dont grow in my neck of the woods (Florida). As for converting the temperature, at least it is easier than converting mph to kph when driving! My hubby and I made our first trip to Canada this summer, and I was driving, and said "Wow the speed limit is 110!" My hubby set me straight very quickly!

[Jennifer]

Very pretty. I hope you can find some fabric that reminds you of your hollyhocks and quilt yourself something just a beautiful as those gorgeous flowers. Just think, you won't have the mess to contend with and you'll have a happy hubby too!

Keep inspiring with your creations!

[Joanne Patton]

You make me laugh! You have a fabulous way with words and I too would LOVE some seeds to try my hand in planting in our garden and then perhaps you could come and nurture, I mean visit, them!!!!!! Just thinking of you and the family today as school is back in and so are other endeavors. Much love and hugs to you all. (email me at joanne.patton@me.com) :)

[Bari Jo]

Beautiful! Frame a few of your favorite pictures for your new home! Maybe your new sewing area! Love the texture of the stucco and window and pretty pink in the last one... a sweet memory of your first home where you brought your babies into....

[Sharrieboberry]

I like the suggestion of growing a variety in a flowerpot. Flowerpots are like bouquets for the yard--you can move them around if they don't work in one spot!

[Bonnie]

Your hollyhocks are gorgeous! I have always wanted to grow these and I have one (?) I think that comes up every year, but only grows to about 15cm, then dies before ever getting near to flowering! Which is so odd. It was planted from seed. the leaves look the same as the ones in these photo's. Anyway, sorry you will miss them, they are so pretty.

[Heather (mtl)]

Love this post on Hollyhocks! I've always adored them and, quite literally, swoon when I catch a glimpse of them. I plan on planting them in 'my' garden (I live in a co-op and am in charge of the large veggie garden) next year. So exciting! It's lots of work, even more fun as I have carte blanche but zero budget (groan). Seeds are the way - and hanging around when others cut back their flowerbeds ;)
Love the pot suggestion, too - never occurred to me - thanks Susan!
Pink flowers = nirvana

[ileen]

I love hollyhocks and miss them very much after leaving the Bay Area and moving to San Diego. But the other day while at the local nursery they had 2 six packs hidden away. So I brought them home to an awful heat wave. I am hoping they survive. Love your pictures. I have something to look forward to!

[pam]

Well save some seeds and mail them to me. I'll try and get some going in my back yard. But seriously, you'll find a spot. It might not be the first year but eventually...

[Sarah]

What is it with men and having to walk on the path?! My husband is the same. You MUST use the path and not walk on the lawn. OCD much? Hahaha. I love Hollyhocks too.they must be hard coz they grow under a harsh Australian sun and come back every year. How will you ever sell your house with all you've said is wrong? Is it going to be demolished?

[April King]

Dont give up on your Hollyhocks. Do everything you can to sneak a few in your new yard. You adore them and everyone should have what they adore!