Alcea rosea Chaters Double purple - Hollyhock

The Alcea rosea Chater's Double Purple is a variety of lavish hollyhock with its immense floral spikes adorned with slightly theatrical, very double flowers displaying a rich purple colour. They bloom throughout the summer and are arranged on stems often exceeding 2m (7ft) in height. This perennial plant, frequently cultivated as a biennial, is wonderful at the back of borders or to cover the walls of an enclosed garden. It tolerates poor and rocky soils, withstands drought, and prefers warm and sheltered locations.

The hollyhock is also known by its Latin name Althaea rosea, and its vernacular names take on all the accents of our regions; it is called Passe-rose, Rose à bâton, Rose papale, or primerose. Belonging to the family Malvaceae, it is native to Asia Minor and often naturalized in slightly wild gardens, fallow land, and mounds of earth.

The Chater's Double Purple hollyhock is a variety with fully double flowers derived from this wild plant. It is an upright plant, usually unbranched, that can reach a height of 2m (7ft) to 2.5m (8ft). It forms a rosette of rounded leaves with 5 or 7 lobes, from which emerges a robust, slightly leafy flower stalk that grows very rapidly. These spike-like inflorescences are covered with large buds that open, in a staggered manner, from June-July to August-September, from the bottom to the top, into large ephemeral flowers measuring 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4in) in diameter, whose fine crepe texture allows light to pass through. They display a deep hue, and their undulations reveal shades of brown, pink, or violet. Throughout this period, they will attract bees and butterflies to your garden. The flowering is followed by numerous fruits filled with seeds that self-sow in the most unexpected areas, which it chooses itself: at the base of walls, in poor and rocky soils, in wall crevices, etc.

Common in abandoned gardens or fallow land in rural areas, the hollyhock is often grown at the back of borders or against a wall that protects it from strong winds. The dark pompoms of this variety pair well with pastel shades (white, candy pink) or warmer tones (soft yellow, orange, salmon), both single and double. Hollyhocks blend well with yarrow, buglosses, and agastaches, against a wall or leaning against a conifer hedge. This plant is said to tolerate juglone, a substance secreted by walnut roots; it could be attempted to be planted at the base of this tree, provided there is enough light. The hollyhock is an edible plant; the flower buds can be consumed raw in salads, and the young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked.

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, albeit milder compared to those of its cousin, the Marshmallow of herbalists (Althaea officinalis).