What Varieties of Hollyhock Are There? A Detailed Guide to Seedling Cultivation Methods
Hollyhock is also called yizhanghong, dashuji, rongkui and so on. Its flower colors include purple, pink, red, white and other colors. Hollyhock not only has extremely high ornamental value in its flowers, but the whole plant can also be used as medicine. In addition, the anthocyanins extracted from it are also a food colorant, giving it good planting prospects. To grow hollyhock, you first need to understand its varieties. So how many varieties of hollyhock are there? What are the seedling cultivation methods? Let's take a look together below.
How many varieties of hollyhock are there?
1. Single-petal type
Petals are in 1-2 whorls, relatively broad and spreading, mostly 5 petals. Normal stamens are numerous and connate, occasionally a few stamens become petaloid, and in a few cases the petal count can reach 9-12. The pistils are normal, and the seed-setting rate is extremely high. Its flower colors include white, yellow, red, black and so on, and there are also multi-colored bicolor varieties.
2. Double-petal type
Petals are in 2-4 whorls, mostly formed by a natural increase in petals. The petal margins are shallowly lobed or entire. Occasionally a few stamens at the lower part of the staminal column become petaloid. There are 10-23 petals, the pistils are normal, and the seed-setting rate is extremely high. The flower colors of the double-petal type include yellow, red and orange, etc.
3. Loose-ball type
There are more petals than in the double-petal type, the stamens degenerate, the pistils are normal, and the inner petals fold inward. The petal count is 20-26, forming the loose-ball type, with a relatively high seed-setting rate.
4. Dense-ball type
The outer whorl petals are mostly naturally enlarged petals, while the inner whorl is mostly petaloid and colored pistils. The stamens completely degenerate, the petals number 25-37, folded in multiple layers and arranged tightly, forming a spherical to ellipsoidal shape, with a very low seed-setting rate.
5. Crown type
The outer petals are broad and flat, most stamens are petaloid, small clusters of stamens are interspersed among the petaloid stamens, and the group of petaloid stamens is tall and upright; or only the stamens on the upper part of the staminal column become petaloid, some outer petals fold inward, still forming a tall shape similar to a crown. The pistils are normal, generally with 20-40 petals, and the seed-setting rate is medium.
6. Hydrangea type
The shape and size of the inner and outer petals are almost equal, the pistils and stamens are highly petaloid, and mostly wrinkled. There are still a small number of stamen clusters among the petals. The petals are densely arranged, generally with a petal count of 35-55, shaped like a hydrangea, with a low seed-setting rate. There are varieties with red, yellow and other colors.
What are the seedling cultivation methods for hollyhock?
1. Sowing time
Hollyhock can be sown in both spring and autumn. However, since the seed germination temperature is around 21 degrees, and it takes 3 months to bloom after sowing, if sown in autumn, hollyhock cannot bloom because of the low winter temperatures. Therefore, northern regions mostly use spring sowing to propagate hollyhock. In southern regions, because the interval between spring and summer is short and the temperature rises quickly, if spring-sown seedlings are exposed to high summer temperatures they are relatively prone to dying, so autumn sowing is generally chosen.
2. Soil treatment
If growing it in the ground at home, it is best to choose a sloped area in the yard with sufficient sunlight, as this helps with drainage. After choosing the plot, the soil should be deeply plowed. Because it likes somewhat fertile soil, you should also dig pits around the plowed soil and bury an appropriate amount of decomposed sheep manure or chicken manure as base fertilizer.
3. Sowing method
After leveling the plot, simply sow one seed shallowly every 30 cm, or you can directly place one seed every 30 cm and then scatter a layer of fine sand or fine soil over the seeds. The soil thickness should be about 0.5-0.8 cm; it should be thin rather than thick, otherwise it is not conducive to sprouting and can also cause the seeds to mold.
4. Transplanting and potting
Transplanting and potting can be done when the hollyhock seedlings grow to about 5 cm, or when they grow to about 10 cm. When transplanting, follow the previous pot cultivation direct sowing method by first filling soil into the flower pot, then use a seedling lifter to dig out the seedlings together with the soil and plant them into the flower pot, fill soil around them and press lightly, then water thoroughly to settle the roots and place them in a well-ventilated, shaded spot to recover for 3-5 days before moving them to a place with sufficient sunlight for care.
The above is an introduction to hollyhock varieties and seedling cultivation. With its diverse flower colors, it is extremely beautiful when blooming and has very high ornamental value. Therefore, many households grow it in pots, and it can also be seen in some parks. Which flower color of hollyhock do you like best?
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