Other Names:  Althaea rosea

Description:

Bold, ruffled, double deep scarlet flowers on towering spikes, this biennial is tolerant to the natural toxin formed by the roots of Black Walnut, but can be susceptible to Japanese beetles; plant in full sun for better growth

Ornamental Features

Chater's Double Red Hollyhock features bold spikes of scarlet round flowers rising above the foliage from mid summer to early fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its large tomentose round leaves remain grayish green in colour throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Chater's Double Red Hollyhock is an herbaceous biennial with a rigidly upright and towering form. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting bees to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Disease
• Self-Seeding

Chater's Double Red Hollyhock is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Vertical Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Chater's Double Red Hollyhock will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity extending to 6 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 24 inches. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground. The flower stalks can be weak and so it may require staking in exposed sites or excessively rich soils. It grows at a fast rate, and tends to be biennial, meaning that it puts on vegetative growth the first year, flowers the second, and then dies. However, this species tends to self-seed and will thereby endure for years in the garden if allowed.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.