Alcea rosea Halo Apricot Seeds- Hollyhock

The hollyhock 'Halo Apricot' is a magnificent variety belonging to the 'Halo' series of Alcea rosea, known for its large bicoloured flowers and robustness. This one produces large corollas in a soft apricot pink with a contrasting deep pink throat. Hardy and rust-resistant, this variety is superb in large flower borders or as a background in rustic flowerbeds. Visited by pollinators, it offers a long and generous summer flowering. Each plant produces after two years 5 to 10 stems adorned with numerous flowers. It requires no watering once established and often self-seeds in unexpected places.

Alcea rosea 'Halo Apricot' is part of a series of hybrids developed in England, renowned for its large bicoloured flowers, bushy habit, ability to produce multiple flower stems per plant, and increased resistance to rust. The wild hollyhock is known by various regional names in France such as Passerose, Stickrose, Papal Rose, or primrose. A member of the Mallow family, it originates from Asia Minor and naturalizes easily in cottage gardens, fallow lands, or on heaps of earth.

The hollyhock 'Halo Apricot', usually grown as a biennial, can behave like a short-lived perennial under good conditions. During the first year, the plant develops a tuft of leaves measuring 50 to 60 cm in all directions. Its large leaves are rounded, lobed, green, villous, and rough to the touch. The plant blooms from the second year onwards. It produces several flower stems rising between 1.50 m and 2.10 m from the ground. The cup-shaped flowers measure 10 to 12 cm in diameter. The flowering period extends from July to September, offering a profusion of apricot pink flowers with a reddish purple centre. These are followed by numerous green fruits filled with flat seeds that self-sow spontaneously in areas seemingly chosen by the plant itself: at the base of walls, in poor rocky soils, wall crevices, etc. This hardy variety withstands temperatures down to -20°C. It prefers a sunny exposure and soils that are both rich and well-drained to grow rapidly and vigorously.

The hollyhock 'Halo Apricot' is perfect for cottage-style gardens or mixed borders. It can be paired with sun-loving plants such as mulleins (Verbascum), Buenos Aires verbena (Verbena bonariensis) and blue perennial geraniums. Together, they create a colourful and attractive display, while attracting numerous pollinators.

The hollyhock is both ornamental and medicinal. Its seeds yield an oil with drying properties. Rich in mucilage, it has soothing, emollient, expectorant, laxative, and appetizing properties that are nonetheless more attenuated than those of its herbalist cousin marshmallow (Althea officinalis).