07/10/2026
Hollyhocks are one of my favorite plants to create structure and height in my clients gardens. I do love foxgloves but they can really get bogged down with the heat and turn the foliage yellow. After that happens the plant doesn’t recover and the leaves stay yellow eventually turning brown.
Foxglove flowers unfortunately don’t last in the hot weather we are experiencing more often than usual. It tends to stunt and wilt, sometimes even scorching the petals and burning the flower buds. When this happens I’ve often found myself discarding the entire plant which is a sad moment.
Climate Change has brought challenges most garden designers don’t always expect until it happens. That’s why using native plants and non-invasive non-native plants that can tolerate extreme cold and heat can help keep your garden going through the hot weather spikes.
Hollyhocks flowers will wilt in the heat but the buds will survive. In general each primary bloom has a cluster next to it with many more smaller flowers ready to open once the primary flower closes up. This continuous session of blooming is what makes them so beautiful and a pollinators paradise.
Hollyhocks also have a higher tolerance to drought and never stop blooming once it starts. It goes on and on for months growing taller every week until it forms seed pods in autumn.
The birds really love the seeds and rely on them for food to stay warm during the colder nights and also as a crucial source of fuel for migrating South for the winter.
The other benefit of this plant it’s is wide range of colors from black to white to pinks, purples, and yellows. So many opportunities to use this plant to create your garden design color scheme and repeat a pattern that adds balance and structure to your garden beds.
Bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and beetles love Hollyhocks rich and abundant pollen count on its anthers. I love seeing bees fly away dusted with pollen heading to the next flower above. So much wonder and joy observing this little magical world of bees.
