398 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



THE HOLLYHOCK. 

 By Geoege Webb. 



Few plants surpass the Hollyhock in stateliness or grandeur when it is at 

 its best, under favourable conditions, and its proper treatment is understood. 

 They possess a great range of colour, from the purest white to almost black, 

 and if well grown, so that each flower is distinctly seen on the spike, the 

 effect is very striking. It is one of our oldest garden flowers ; in fact its 

 history is very remote. It is mentioned by Gerard and others upwards of 

 three hundred years ago, but only two varieties with double flowers are 

 mentioned, viz. double red and double purple ; hence we are probably safe 

 in assuming that these two double forms were the first parents of all our 

 present double varieties. The crossing of these two with all the various 

 shades of single flowers was taken up by a Mr. Charles Baron, a shoe- 

 maker of Saffron Walden, in the early part of the last century, when 

 many shades were produced, all of a semi-double character. These were 

 handed on to the famous raiser, the late Mr. William Chater, to whom we 

 are indebted for the many lovely shades of colour we now possess. Mr. 

 Chater raised and distributed them far and wide, and in 1847 published 

 his first catalogue of named varieties, and continued issuing one yearly, 

 and adding new shades and forms until 1878, when the disease made its 

 first appearance and devastated his plantations with great virulence, and 

 many of his choicest flowers were lost for ever. For several years after 

 this date it was difficult to procure a plant, either from seed, cuttings, or 

 grafts, in a fit condition for planting ; hence the old method of propagation 

 had to be discarded both in raising plants and also in the cultivation for 

 flowering. The wintering of plants under glass for propagating purposes 

 had to be abandoned, and the treatment of the Hollyhock as a hardy 

 plant was found to be the only method by which the disease could be 

 combated, and the raising of plants from seed the only practical form of 

 propagation. In fact, all our named varieties are now obtained from seed, 

 all being raised in the open ground, and they are equal in quality and far 

 superior in constitution to those propagated by means of cuttings or grafts. 



The seed of the Hollyhock may be sown in the open ground at the 

 end of May or beginning of June, when it will quickly germinate, and 

 in a few weeks will form one single taproot. When these attain to the 

 size of the little finger each plant should be partly lifted with a spade, 

 entirely severing the taproot, after which new fibres will soon be formed, 

 and in a few weeks it will be in good condition for transplanting to its 

 flowering quarters. 



The Hollyhock requires a good depth of soil, and in order to obtain 

 the best results it is most important that it should be well prepared by 

 trenching or double digging to the depth of 2 ft. at least, leaving the 

 bottom soil at the bottom, and if it is of a poor or light character a 

 plentiful' supply of cow manure should be incorporated as the work goes 

 on. The soil being thus prepared for the planting, proceed with the work 



