How to Save Hollyhock Seeds
Hollyhocks are a tall and stately perennial flower. Reaching up to 6 feet or more, hollyhocks produce delicate blooms in a variety of colors that add vertical interest to your garden beds. Saving seeds from the hollyhocks allows you to propagate your favorite colors and varieties in new areas of your landscape, or to pass these favorites onto friends and family to grow in their own gardens. As long as your hollyhocks aren't a hybrid variety, the seeds produce plants true to their parents. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Cut off the flower stalk 1 to 2 inches beneath the bottom-most spent flower with a pair of shears once the flowers begin to wilt and seed pods begin forming. Seed pods resemble brown or tan spheres with a papery covering.
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Place the hollyhock stalk in a paper bag. Cut the stalk in half or thirds if it is too long for the bag, then place the cut stalks in the bag. Set it in a warm, dry room for one to two weeks or until the seed pods begin to split open. The bag catches any seeds that spill from the pods as they dry.
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Hold each seed pod over a bowl and finish splitting it open with your fingers. Shake the seeds from the pods and into the bowl.
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Remove any plant debris and non-seed material from the bowl. Shake the bowl lightly and the heavier seeds go to the bottom with the plant debris raising to the top, making removal easier.
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Label an envelope or jar with the type and color of hollyhock and the year harvested. Place the seeds inside and store in a cool, dry place until you are ready to plant.
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Tips & Warnings
The refrigerator offers the perfect storage temperature for seeds. Place the seeds in a sealed jar first so the moisture in the fridge doesn't adversely affect them.
Hollyhock seeds are brown to black when they are fully mature. Waiting for the pods to begin opening on their own ensures the seeds are mature.
Never store the seeds where they are exposed to heat or moisture, as this ruins their viability.
References
- Photo Credit Yellow Hollyhock image by Susan Kronowitz from Fotolia.com
