Hollyhocks for Joanie

I love nostalgic flowers... you know the kind... you see them and they take you back in time. Hollyhocks are one of those flowers for me. For as long as I can remember we had hollyhocks growing along the wall in our backyard at our little Greenville house. I will even admit to being one of those kids who had to taste everything... I can tell you that the inside of hollyhock stems resembles packing peanuts! (Although I haven't TASTED packing peanuts!)

JOANIE'S 6TH BIRTHDAY- NOTICE THE HOLLYHOCKS IN THE TOP RIGHT (I'm on the far left)

I've tried planting them in my yard at previous homes, but never had much luck until we got to our house here in Springville, where I had red ones already established.  I've learned an interesting thing about hollyhocks, they don't look so hot the first year... but if you are patient with them they will reward you greatly... guess that's just how  it is.

The other thing about hollyhocks is that they attract bumble bees! Again with the weird personal facts, but I love bees, especially bumble bees. We have a mutual understanding... I don't hurt them, they don't hurt me.

Honeybees come for their share of the pollen too... look how the bottom guy is covered with it!

This particular stand of hollyhock lives in my raised garden area. They are volunteers! I use grass clippings to mulch my garden area and they must have tagged along! Last year, as described above, they were sad. This year when I was laying out my drip system I ran some drippers to these hollyhocks. wow, WOW, WOW!

To paraphrase a song... hollyhocks as high as an elephant's-eye! These are about 9 feet tall!

I love these happy flowers, they just make me smile...

One last photo... a digitally altered bumble bee... well, the photo, not the bee ;)