Hollyhock, or Alcea rosea, is an herb known for its vibrant and attention-grabbing flowers, with colors ranging from light pink to dark purple. Aside from its beautiful blooms, hollyhock is also well-known for its medicinal purposes. If you have hollyhock plants growing in your garden or backyard, you’re in luck, because you can use them to help ease a few common conditions naturally and safely. Continue reading to learn more about this plant and how it can help improve your health.

What Is Hollyhock?

The term “hollyhock” is generally used as a collective term for the genus Alcea, which consists of approximately 60 flowering varieties.¹ This article will focus on Alcea rosea, which is the most common species of all the Alcea plants.²

Hollyhock was originally from China, where it was eaten as a potherb. It is typically abundant in Europe and Asia, but also thrives in the U.S. and other regions due to its hardy nature. One of the possible reasons this plant is called hollyhock is because the first plants sent to Southern Europe came from the Holy Land.

In earlier times, hollyhock was especially popular among the Spanish, who thought it to be the perfect reflection of God’s love because the plant was extremely enduring.³ Over the years, however, its popularity as a garden plant has waned due to its susceptibility to multiple diseases and pests, especially a fungus gardeners call “rust.”

Rust, or Puccinia malvacearum, usually grows on hollyhock leaves and can cause them to become severely disfigured. While hollyhock rust may cause you to have second thoughts about planting your own hollyhock herbs, there are ways to prevent it from infecting your beloved plants.⁴

What Are the Health Benefits of Hollyhock?

Hollyhock may be a beautiful addition to anyone’s garden or yard, but its benefits transcend the exquisiteness of its flowers. Aside from its gardening uses, hollyhock is incredibly useful when it comes to your health. Some of the benefits it has are:

3 Uses of Hollyhock

Aside from being an ornamental plant, you can use hollyhock as a:

Here’s How You Can Grow Hollyhocks

Growing your own hollyhock plants is relatively easy, as long as you make sure they get enough sunlight and moisture. These plants can reach a whopping 9 feet tall, which makes them suitable for growing near walls or fences. They are also especially appealing to both butterflies and hummingbirds. To grow your own hollyhocks, follow this step-by-step guide:^11,12

Note that hollyhocks are very vulnerable to certain pests and fungal diseases, including beetles, sawflies, powdery mildew and rust, with rust being the most damaging. Below are two tips on how to significantly lower your plants’ susceptibility to rust:¹³

Try This Spring Salad Recipe With Hollyhock Flowers

Hollyhock flowers are edible, which makes them ideal additions to salads and side dishes. Hollyhocks are just one of 42 flowers you can eat. Below is a spring salad recipe featuring hollyhocks:¹⁴

Here’s How You Can Correctly Harvest and Store Hollyhock Seeds

Hollyhocks are usually categorized as either a perennial or a biennial, with plants only living up to three years. Most hollyhock plants are biennial, but this largely depends on plant care. If you’d like to keep hollyhocks growing in your garden, it might be a good idea to save your hollyhock seeds. Here’s how you can collect the seeds and prepare them for storage:¹⁵

Hollyhock: A Beautiful and Useful Addition to Your Garden

If you grew up with hollyhocks, you probably remember these colorful flowers with fondness. While their vibrant colors may have lifted your mood on gloomy days, you now know they are edible and can boost your health. You might try them to alleviate inflammation and support healthy digestion. Hollyhocks might not be as popular as they once were, but it’s never too late for them to make a comeback.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Hollyhock