Cut flower garden

[Gardening with Rabbits]

I have a three yr old hollyhock at my old home in OR. Since its not yet gone up for sale (the home), what can I do with it? Its so pretty, going straight up right next to a red bud tree.

I have transplanted small ones but I am not sure about a big one. Of course can save seeds from it. The best hollyhocks I have had that I think are hardy and easy to transplant are Country Romance. I started seeds from several different kinds and planted out in the spring and the Country Romance bloomed the first year. They get tall and single bloom. I found new seed last year and I think they are the ones that are blooming now. I like the double bloom but they just do not seem as strong or as tall.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

I seldom sow directly, except carrots in the raised beds. It's difficult for any young plants to compete with weeds and endure bad weather conditions. For the annual flowers, I usually pinched them 2-3 times and kept them until they had robust root systems. They usually grow quite well after transplantation.

I also love hollyhocks! But it is difficult for them to grow well here - too many pests. I did try several times and decided to give them up as it takes too much effort to care for them.

Some of my hollyhocks have holes in the leaves. I am going to pay attention and see if it is a certain variety. I also have not had good luck with planting flower seeds directly.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

See the maroon flowers going up alongside the tree trunk? My hollyhock.

 

[ducks4you]

A have a friend who loves her hollyhocks and has grown them for years. They reseed every year and she says that you never know What colors you will get. They have full sun and get like 9 ft tall.
I Think they need both full sun AND Really good drainage. I notice @Phaedra Geiermann that your garden is fenced in. Perhaps when seeded directly in the soil it gets too wet for them?
Perhaps you could make one of your numerous small raised beds and try maybe 6 seeds.
YES, they would stand out to your next door neighbors.

Growing Hollyhocks: How to Get the Most from this Cottage Garden Classic

For romanticism, stature, elegance and pollinator-friendly credentials, growing hollyhocks will add a very special dimension to beds and borders – here’s how to do it right

www.gardeningknowhow.com

She NEVER fertilizes her hollyhocks OR ANYTHING ELSE!!
She is a Veteranarian, has limited gardening time.
I brought her 3 bales of straw and 5 bags of soiled horse bedding, plenty of manure in itl
I piled it where she told me to, and, 5 years later, she hasn't used any of it.
By now, it would be WELL rotted.
So, the soil isn't great, mostly clay, proably their grow spot had been amended at some point, not lately, and her hollyhocks love it. Maybe they are being ferilized by previous hollyhocks end of season?
Hate it when somebody is successful without meaning to be, and you can't replicate it!
Just FYI, but I Totally understand how hollyhocks aren't on your radar right now.

 

[Phaedra]

I didn't cut any flowers for a few months. Well, they look great, whether in the garden or a vase. We had heavy rain last night, and some of the MUMs growing in the raised bed became too heavy to stand properly. I just wanted to cut some of them but ended up with many flowers on the kitchen island.

Arranging flowers is a good morning activity, bringing calmness and joy for the entire day. They went to different corners at home.

Here is a half sweet potato growing on the window sill. I cut some stems to stimulate the side shoots. However, the removed stems worked well with the leftover flowers (which are too short).

It's still lovely.

See the foliage? They are young asparagus. That's the beauty of having vegetables and flowers in the garden. Everything is possible.

The growers' "privilege" - having brunch among the lovely cut flowers.

Next year, I will make a Dahlia patch for the well-developed tubers I have at hand. I want to increase Delphinium for sure, and the earlier transplanted foxgloves should bring more colorful moments in 2023.

 

[Phaedra]

I cleaned some potted Dahlias and filled this bed with old soil and some compost. Then I transplanted the second batch of foxgloves.

And look at these Dahlia tubers! Although they are potted plants, 50-70% of the tubers are new growth.

Same for these two - three old tubers (this is what we usually get from local nurseries) and many new ones.

For me, they are ready and will bring a lot of great flowers next year after being transplanted into the ground.

 

[flowerbug]

always amazing what you can do there.

 

[Phaedra]

Pre-sprouting Calla Lily bulbs

Two varieties of Sidalcea

Two varieties of Siberian Iris and two varieties of cornflowers

Sweet peas and poppies

Warrior roses that survived this frosty winter belong to the last batch of cuttings I propagated the previous autumn.

The annual flowers that were sowed and are growing well: Geranium, Snapdragon, Lisianthus, Pansy, a few calendula 'Bronzed Beauty'

I keep pinching MUMs and using the pinched materials for propagating. Peonies shoots are coming, old and new. 7 or 8 different Lilac also carry a lot of buds.

This must be a wonderful cut flower year.

 

[Phaedra]

After about five months, I brought out my dahlia tubers and realized, well, not bad! I cleaned, trimmed, and dried them before storing so I can directly divide them now. I used several layers of old paper to wrap them and kept them in the fruit transportation cartons (with ventilation holes). The storing quality isn't worse than using sand or vermiculite.

Some of the eyes are already there - it also made dividing easier.

I also ordered another three varieties, which were stored in the sand. I trimmed the roots and divided the suitable ones. One variety, 'Chick-A-Dee' - I got eight smaller clumps from 4 tubers that I ordered.

The divided ones are now resting on the shelf for drying a bit, and then, I will bury all tubers tomorrow with soil in the trays for pre-sprouting.

 

[digitS']

Dahlias are ..

. so ..

. rewarding .