Alcea ficifolia ‘Happy Lights’ seeds – (Fig leaved hollyhock)

Description

Picture thanks to Jelitto seeds https://www.jelitto.com

Happy lights is a beautiful strain. It is a blend of white, pink, purple, red, and yellow blooms. It makes a bushy plant rather than having a single spire like the traditional hollyhocks, and will also flower in the first year from seed if sown early enough (May – September).

This is a much more robust form of the common hollyhock native to Siberia. If you have problems with hollyhock  rust then try this variety which is much more rust resistant.

The plants grow to around 150 to 210cm  tall, and produce large, single saucer shaped flowers that are 8 to 12cm  wide from November to April. They make excellent cut flowers.

It should be cut back after flowering, and prefers a moderately fertile well drained soil.

This strain is easy to grow from seed , and is extremely hardy . It likes rich soil and full sun.

Sowing advice

Sow indoors in winter and spring or outdoors in summer and early autumn in trays or pots or can also be sown direct where they are to grow. Sow the seeds 20mm apart onto moist soil. Just cover with a sprinkling of soil. Ideal temp 15-21 deg C. Keep moist and do not let the seeds dry out once planted. They will usually germinate in 10 – 14 days. Prick out each seedling as it becomes large enough to handle (3-4 weeks later), transplant into individual pots, handle leaves only the stem is fragile. Gradually acclimatise to outdoor conditions for 10 to 15 days before planting out after all risk of frost..