Evening star., 1925-06-23

Now that the Hollyhocks are in
bloom, we know that Grandmother
was right.
She always had them in her old
fashioned garden. tWe call 1t old.
fashioned! To Grandmaw it was
simply a garden)
In those old gardens the mothers of
yesteryear had space for the Holly.
hock-stately, sturdy plant with cup
shaped. bright blossoms, about which
the bumblebees delighted to hum.
Many a person today has vague
memories Of it, carried adown the
years by means of some elusive cells
In the brain that half recall. half for
get, the appearance of the old favor
ite
When such a man Tor woman) de-
cides to plant Hollyhocks in his own
garden he Is not prepared for the
stately plants which greet him in
June. He had planted them to cover
the side of a garage, with much more
thought put upon that utility than
upon the possible beauty of the
flowers.
The appearance Of the automobile
barn, rather than of the flowers them
selves, was the foremost thought. So
naturally the flower grower is some
what surprised to find his judgment
reversed In the first month Of Sum.
mer.
When the satin petals unfold, over.
night. with their mealy interiors, he
forgets entirely his primary purpose
and regards them no longer as simply
cover plants, but as beauties In their
own right.
Beauty is its own excuse for
being" some one has said. This
never applied better to anything than
to our old friend. the Hollyhock, about
which we might also quote the line
"A thing Of beauty is a joy forever
The Hollyhock belongs to the inter
esting family that includes the So
called Rose of Sharon, or Althea, and
the Hibiscus, so familiar in the South.
These Marsh Mallows, as they are
sometimes called, are hardy and vigor-
Gus: The Rose of Sharon. Hibiscus
Syriacus, in some sections called
Shrubby Althea, makes a splendid
hedge, Towering attractively in late
Summer or early Autumn.
What Is generally known as Hibiscus
is Hibiscus Moscheutos, native In the
swamps Of the Eastern United States,
which bears tremendous flowers some.
times half a foot across.
1t Is easy for the amateur gardener
to see the family resemblance between
these plants and the Hollyhock. par.
ticularly In the flowers. which are of
the same general type. being more or
less cup-shaped, in much the same
range Of colors.
,, Prof. l.. II. Bailey says of the Holly
hook: STATELY, hardy plants. to
feet tall, well known everywhere. ma.
tive in China, Summer blooming, bear.
ing large wide-open flowers along the
main axis in white, rose, red. yellow
ish. single and double.
The culture is very simple. The
seed is usually sown in July. and the
plants set where wanted the following &
Spring. They will bloom the same
year in which they are transplanted-
the year following the seed sowing
New plants should be set every two
years. as the plant is essentially bien.
nial.
For the rust Of Hollyhocks, spray
several times with bordeaux mixture
remove affected leaves promptly; do
not allow diseased leaves to remain
over Winter. The rust also attacks
the common weedy mailow Of gar
dens."
The seed catalogues usually list
the Hollyhock as both hardy and an.
nual, the latter towering from seed
the first season-or so they say
Sometimes they do. and sometimes