sparkles2307 said:
So, how do I know when my hollyhocks are ready for me to pick off the seed pods and how do I save the seeds? I have 2 huge pink ones that look like peonies the flowers are so big and I want to plant them all along my house...
ETA: Sorry for the hyjack!
sparkles, I just wrote an article on general seed saving but used my hollyhocks as an example of seeds that dry in a pod on the plant. You want to let the pod dry really well. The picture in the article will show you how they should look.
http://www.xomba.com/save_seeds_save_money_save_life
I have read that hollyhocks should be "chilled" before germinating but have not seen recommendations for length of time. Assuming hollyhocks are one of the plants that will self-seed which means the seeds would be exposed to the elements all winter, keeping them in the fridge to chill for the winter is a good bet. However, I also read a results report of 9 year old seeds that were kept at room temperature and had a 37% germination rate. I thought that was a good percentage for the age of the seed but maybe it would have been higher if the seeds had been pre-chilled also.
I would love to see your hollyhocks! Can you get a picture? Are they the double variety? I planted a peach double that is very pretty and different than the singles in size. They are smaller plants and flowers.
About 7 ft tall I would say with solid blooms on the top 4 ft of the stalk. I never had hollyhocks before and am in LOOOOOVE now
