Alcea Rosea Simplex

Alcea rosea ‘Simplex’ is the classic single-flowered hollyhock, raising tall, stately spires crowded with open, saucer-shaped blooms in a broad mixture of white, pink, red, purple and softer intermediate shades. The simple flowers reveal their central column of stamens, making them especially accessible to bees and giving the plants an old-fashioned cottage-garden character. Broad, softly hairy leaves form a strong base below. Ideal against sunny walls, fences and the back of borders, these biennial or short-lived perennial plants often self-seed where conditions suit them.