If you have a young plant that has sprung up you can dig up the self-sown seedling and pot it into a 9cm (3.5in) pot. Hollyhocks have long taproots, making them hard to transplant. Just remember that in the first year your hollyhock plant will be establishing its roots and foliage, and it will go on to flower in its second year.
Water them a few times a week, particularly if the weather is warm, as containers will dry out quickly in a drought. Add a stake to each plant to give it some support. Young hollyhock plants can be planted into containers over summer. Containers with a barrel-like shape work best. Hollyhocks have long taproots as well as lateral roots that need space, so the deeper the pot, the better. The essential thing to know with hollyhocks grown in containers is that they need plenty of room. To help the plant establish well, sprinkle mycorrhizal fungi (Rootgrow) onto the roots of the plant before placing in the planting hole. If you have bought hollyhocks in larger containers with established root systems, plant them outdoors May-July, or alternatively in autumn. If you have bought your hollyhocks as plug plants, pot them up in larger pots and allow them to establish a good root system before planting in the ground. This helps the roots to get established before the demands of flowering begin – otherwise you might end up with a weaker plant and that could lead to more trouble with rust. If you get the odd plant trying to flower sooner, snip off the flower spike.
Hollyhocks will be ready for planting out in the garden by June, but won't flower well until the following year. Ideally, plants should have warm roots but cool tops. The ideal spot for growing on has maximum all-round light. Place each seedling into its own pot of peat-free compost, firm down and water. Get a pencil (or stiff plant label) right under each plant and try to tease out every individual seedling, roots and all. To prick out, handle only the seed leaves, not the stem (which bruises very easily). If roots are showing at the base of the tray, they're ready to move on. Hollyhocks take around 10-14 days to germinate and then another 3-4 weeks before they're ready for pricking out. Once this starts, remove the light-excluding plastic. After about a week, check trays every morning and night for germination. I cover seed trays with an empty, opened out compost bag to keep in warmth and moisture and to speed up the germination process. Place the tray in a warm spot to germinate. When the tray is full, cover lightly with compost. Don't push the seed, leave them on the surface so they are clearly visible as you continue to sow. Sow the large seeds individually, spacing about an 5cm (2in) apart on the compost surface. If you water after sowing, the water can move the seeds about and they might end up bunching together. If you’re planting seeds undercover, fill a tray with compost and water it well to ensure that it is consistently moist. The seeds can also be sown directly outdoors in May and June. Hollyhock seeds should be sown undercover in April and May.
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