Hollyhock

Alcea rosea

Ambition, fertility, abundance, the cycle of life.

Did you know

Hollyhocks were brought to England from the Holy Land during the Crusades — the name combines 'holy' with 'hock,' an old word for mallow.
Hollyhock 'dolls' — flowers stacked into figurines with toothpicks — were a popular children's craft in 19th-century gardens.
Their flowers are edible and were once used to color wines and cordials.
Hollyhocks are martyrs to rust fungus, which is why they're often grown against walls where dead leaves are less visible.
The black-flowered cultivar 'Nigra' has been grown since at least the 1620s.