Alcea rugosa

Alcea rugosa resembles the Alcea rosea, the charming hollyhock inseparable from old gardens. But this different species, rare in cultivation and native to the Black Sea, produces strong, unbranched, hairy stems where simple and silky flowers, pale lemon yellow to golden yellow, bloom in summer. Its leaves, deeply lobed and covered in hairs, have a strongly veined underside. This ephemeral perennial self-seeds very easily and is more resistant to rust, while being as undemanding as its pink cousin. Indispensable in country gardens, it thrives in poor, rocky soils, is drought-resistant, and prefers warm locations.

This hollyhock is also known by the Latin name Althaea rugosa, but it is much less commonly used in gardens than Alcea rosea, also known as the passe-rose. Belonging to the Malvaceae family, the rugosa species is native to Ukraine and slightly shorter than its relative. It is an upright plant with unbranched stems that can reach a height of 1.50 to 2m (5 to 7ft). It forms a rosette of ramified stems covered in rough, rounded, lobed, and undulate greenish-grey leaves, from which robust, hairy flower spikes emerge, growing rapidly. These spike inflorescences are covered in numerous large buds that open, staggered from June to August, from bottom to top, into large, single corolla flowers whose texture beautifully reflects light. They are pale yellow with a golden yellow heart, revealing a prominent central column. Throughout this period, they will attract bees and butterflies to your garden. The flowering gives way to numerous fruit filled with seeds that spontaneously self-sow in the most unexpected areas, seemingly chosen by the plant itself: at the base of walls, in poor, rocky soils, crevices in walls, etc...

Widespread in abandoned gardens or fallow fields in our countryside, the hollyhock is often cultivated at the back of borders or against a wall to protect it from strong winds. The freshness and health of this Russian species will allow you to create superb combinations with pink or white, single or double forms. The hollyhock is an edible plant, with the floral buds being consumed raw in salads and the young leaves raw or cooked.

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