mainerose,

I am not experienced growing hollyhocks and have never tried them in Maine.

Here is some hollyhock information.

Since hollyhocks don't normally bloom until the second year, the trick here in Maine is getting them to survive over the winter when our soil is frozen as hard as a brick.

MM

i am in southern maine, portland area, zone 4-5 and i grew hollyhocks (biennials) from seed and they did great. i seeded them in 6 packs in the spring 2005 & planted them in the garden when they where large enough to handle (early-mid summer), left them in the ground all winter and they came up and flowered this summer - i don't think i lost any. my soil is average - i've added compost and organic fert to it, but haven't added near enough organic material for me to be "proud" of it. it is sandy under the garden soil, and this gives me very good drainage. i also have delphiniums in this bed and every single one of them came back - i'm convinced in the case of the delphs, it's due to the good drainage and their roots staying drier in the winter. maybe the hollyhocks like that too. i know maineman said most hollyhocks don't normally bloom until the second year and maybe i am wrong, but i think their are perennials hollyhocks and biennial hollyhocks - i don't know if you're going for perennials rather than biennials - maybe the perennials are trickier than the biennials up here. the only other real difference i see is that you took better care of yours. i did put granular fert down, but did not use liquid fert, just watered regularly. as far as getting them to survive the winter, last winter was pretty cold and there was not much snow cover.
anyway, that's all i've got! good luck!

The ones you planted this year will bloom next year. That is what they are supposed to do. But sometimes we get surprised, esp. with nursery-grown hollyhocks, because they bloom the summer we plant them. Same with foxglove.

Your hollyhocks will put on a good show next year. Let them go to seed so you have more (in 2 years).

Thanks for the advice. goinnorth, my hollyhocks are planted right next to delphiniums which have survived several winters now, so maybe the holly hocks will make it. I'll try to be patient!

Hollyhocks are biennial. The seedlings that you planted this year will flower next year, most likely. Throw some seeds in this fall and next spring as well. I dead head some of my plants and throw the seeds in the back of the bed. In the fall, I cut the stalks and leave them in the bed also. Just make sure that you aren't weeding out the seedlings by accident in the fall and spring.
Try this for several years in a row and you'll eventually build up a stand of them. I think sometimes the soil right next to our houses has lead and other nasties in it and some of them get killed off. It took me several years to build up a good stand of them.
Martha

My patience has been rewarded! I went out this morning and found a lovely magenta bloom on one of my hollyhocks! Of couse the plant is only 6 inches tall so the bloom is kinda sittin' on the ground, lol. It was a real treat, though, since this time of year I don't have much in bloom. I will take all the good advice about scattering seed this fall and in the spring. I hope to have a better stand by next year.

Mainerose,

Congratulations on your hollyhock bloom! My guess would be that the plants you bought at Longfellows were entering the second year of their biennial cycle. Or they could have been first year bloomers that Longfellows had given a very significant headstart.

I shop at Longfellows from time to time. They are actually located in Manchester, which adjoins the western side of Augusta.

MM

You're absolutely right---it is in Manchester on Puddledock
Road. Now that's a wonderful name for a road. I wonder where it came from? I love to shop there---a great selection of plants and wonderful garden accesories. I love their wide variety of garden supports and stakes---so many different shapes and sizes. Heaven help me if I ever win the Megabucks---their shelves will be bare! Actually most of my plants these days come from Robin's Flower Pot in Farmington, but I still love to browse at Longfellows and they have some good deals later in the season.

I have never had any luck with hollyhocks either. I have planted both from seed and from seedlings and they just disappear.

Joanie D.