Alcea rosea

Alcea rosea (malva real) — la imponente flor de jardín rústico con altas espigas de flores en forma de platillo, muy apreciada por las abejas. Un clásico en nuestra gama de flores bienales.

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Alcea rosea — the hollyhock

Alcea rosea is the botanical name for the hollyhock, the towering, old-fashioned cottage-garden flower whose tall spires of saucer blooms are a quintessential image of summer. A short-lived perennial usually grown as a biennial, it sits among our biennial flowers within the wider flower seed collection.

History & origin

The hollyhock has been grown for so long that its exact wild origin is uncertain, but it is thought to come from China and south-western Asia. It reached Europe in the Middle Ages, possibly carried back from the Middle East around the time of the Crusades, and its old English name — from “holy” and “hock” (a mallow) — may recall that journey from the Holy Land. By Tudor times it was a beloved garden flower, and it has stood by cottage walls and doorways ever since.

Its botanical name reflects its family and colour: Alcea derives from the Greek name for a mallow, and rosea means “rose-coloured.”

Botanical characteristics

A statuesque plant reaching two metres or more, the hollyhock sends up tall spikes hung with large single or double flowers in pink, red, white, yellow, apricot and near-black. As a member of the mallow family its open, nectar-rich blooms are a magnet for bees, so it features among our bee-friendly and pollinator flowers. It is perfect at the back of a border or against a sunny wall, and self-seeds to return year after year.

Growing Alcea rosea from seed

Grown as a biennial, hollyhocks are sown in early summer to flower the following year, or in spring to flower a little later. Give them deep, rich soil, full sun and shelter from strong wind, and stake the tall spikes in exposed spots. Leave a few seed heads and they will happily self-seed. Our flower growing guide and flower sowing calendar cover the timing.

Ready to grow hollyhocks? Browse the varieties or learn the basics first.

Related categories: Biennial Flowers · Pollinator Flowers · Bee-Friendly Flowers · Cut Flowers · All Flower Seeds

At SeedsChoice, every order ships from Meppel, NL with fast, tracked EU delivery.

Preguntas frecuentes

¿Qué es Alcea rosea?
Es el nombre botánico de la malva real, una perenne de vida corta que suele cultivarse como bienal.

¿De dónde es originaria la malva real?
Probablemente de China y del suroeste de Asia; llegó a Europa en la Edad Media.

¿Qué significa el nombre?
Alcea proviene del griego que significa malva y rosea significa «de color rosa»; el nombre común en inglés significa «malva sagrada».

¿Son las malvas reales buenas para las abejas?
Sí — sus flores abiertas de tipo malva son muy ricas en néctar.

¿Cómo se cultivan?
Siémbralas como bienal a principios de verano para que florezcan al año siguiente; dales un suelo profundo, pleno sol y un tutor.