Alcea rosea Chatters Red - Hollyhock

The Alcea rosea Chatter's Red Double is the first variety of hollyhock that offers double red flowers. They are a very rich garnet red, carried majestically by tall floral spikes that are noticeable from far away in the garden. This perennial plant, frequently grown as a biennial, is emblematic of English cottage gardens and is wonderful at the back of borders or for covering the walls of an enclosed garden. It tolerates poor and rocky soils, withstands drought, and prefers warm and sheltered locations.

The hollyhock is also known by its Latin name Althaea rosea, and its vernacular names adopt all the accents of our regions: it is called Passe-rose, Rose à bâton, Rose papale, or primerose. Belonging to the mallow family, it is native to Asia Minor and often naturalized in slightly wild gardens, fallow land, and mounds of earth.

The Chater's Double Red hollyhock is a variety with fully double flowers derived from this wild plant. It is an upright plant, usually unbranched, that can reach a height of 2 to 2.5 meters (7 to 8 feet). It first develops a rosette of rounded leaves with 5 or 7 lobes, from which emerges a robust, slightly leafy floral stem in the second year, with very rapid growth. These spike-like inflorescences are covered with large buds that open, in a staggered manner, from June-July to August-September, and from bottom to top, into large ephemeral flowers measuring 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4in) in diameter, with a delicate crepe-like texture that allows light to pass through. They display a dark red hue, and their undulations reveal shades of brown, pink, or purple. Throughout this period, they will attract bees and butterflies to your garden. The flowering gives way to numerous fruits filled with seeds that self-sow spontaneously in the most unexpected areas, which it chooses itself: at the base of walls, in poor and rocky soils, crevices in walls, etc.

Common in abandoned gardens or fallow land in the countryside, the hollyhock is often cultivated at the back of borders or against a wall that protects it from strong winds. The garnet pompoms of this variety can be combined with pastel shades (white, candy pink) or warmer tones (soft yellow, orange, salmon), in both single and double forms. Hollyhocks pair well with yarrow, bugloss, and agastache, against a wall or leaning against a conifer hedge. This plant is said to be tolerant of juglone, a substance secreted by walnut roots; you could try planting it at the base of this tree, provided there is enough light. The hollyhock is an edible plant, with the floral buds being consumable raw in salads and the young leaves raw or cooked.

The hollyhock is both ornamental and medicinal. Its seeds produce an oil with drying properties. Rich in mucilage, it has soothing, emollient, expectorant, laxative, and appetizing properties, although milder than those of its cousin, Marshmallow (Althea officinalis).