T 
A.HE hollyhock is a tall peren¬ 
nial herb, belonging to the mallow 
family — a genus of common garden 
plants. It is a very well known plant, 
commonly seen in gardens all over the 
world. The hollyhock is native of India 
and southern parts of Europe, but its 
origin goes back to the Holy Land. . . . 
This hardy plant has a tall, erect, fuzzy 
stem, growing from four to eight — and 
even fifteen feet in height. The stem is 
dotted with short stalked, large showy 
flowers, springing from the axil and 
flowering on the upper part of the stem, 
so as to form a terminal spike. The 
flowers vary in color, ranging from scar¬ 
let to lavender, pink, and white; some 
varieties have single flowers, while 
others have either double or semi-double 
flowers — all are common in gardens, 
affording a wealth of gorgeous brilliant 
colors. . . . Reproduction of the holly¬ 
hock takes place by either seeds or cut¬ 
tings. It also propagates itself by 
offshoots, and for that reason, when 
once the hollyhock is set up in the gar¬ 
den, it may continue to thrive for several 
years. Its picturesque, stately beauty 
bedecks simple and elaborately land¬ 
scaped gardens alike, lending the same 
air of graceful charm and 
colorful adornment. 
