Alcea Rosea Spring Celebrities Apricot

Alcea rosea Spring Celebrities Apricot Seed

(Hollyhock)

For those who love English cottage gardens but lack the space for full-size hollyhocks, Spring Celebrities Apricot is a compact treasure. From early winter through spring, it produces full, frilly single to double blossoms in beautiful, blended shades of rosy apricot. Spring Celebrities is a dwarf, multi-stemmed hollyhock series with large double to semi-double flowers that blooms from the first year and keeps flowering for up to three months. The series is well matched in earliness, height, habit, and flower form.

Variety Details

Botanical name: Alcea rosea Spring Celebrities Apricot
Series: Spring Celebrities (American Takii)
Common name: Apricot Hollyhock
Family: Malvaceae
Type: Short-lived perennial / biennial — blooms first year from seed
Height: 60–80 cm
Spread: 30–45 cm
Flower form: Double to semi-double, frilly
Flower color: Rosy apricot — warm blended tones
Flowering season: May to October (temperate); November to April (Gulf)

Key Features

• Dwarf hollyhock series with large double to semi-double flowers and excellent basal branching.
• Ideal for large containers, beds, and borders.
• Blooms for up to three months in its first year under favorable conditions.
• Warm apricot-rose flower tones unique within the Spring Celebrities range.
• Does not require staking due to compact dwarf habit.
• Strong pollinator attraction. Plants are biennial and will self-seed.

Plant Information

• Sun: Full sun — minimum 6 hours daily
• Soil: Well-draining, fertile soil.
• Will not tolerate wet winter soils.
• Watering: Young plants thrive in moist conditions.
• Mature hollyhocks require water during extended heat and dry periods.
• Pest and disease: Rust (orange-brown fungal spotting on leaves) can sometimes be a problem but rarely affects plant vigor.
• Treat with Neem Oil or sulfur applied early in the season.
• Provide ample air circulation.
• Staking: Not required due to dwarf compact habit.

Seed Germination

• Germination temperature: 15–20°C. Light germinates.
• Days to germinate: 7–10 days.
• Surface sow or press lightly into moist seed compost.
• Do not cover deeply.
• Maintain even moisture until germination.
• Transplant seedlings once large enough to handle.

Growing Tips

• In Kuwait, sow seeds in September in a shaded indoor space.
• Transplant to final positions in October when temperatures moderate.
• Plant in well-draining raised beds amended with compost and perlite.
• Space plants 40–45 cm apart to ensure air circulation and prevent rust.
• Deadhead spent flowers regularly to extend the blooming season.
• Apply a thin layer of compost as mulch around the base.
• Avoid overhead watering — water at the base to minimize rust risk.

Gulf Planting Season

• Indoor sowing: September to October
• Transplanting outdoors: October to November
• Active growing and flowering season: November to April
• Not recommended: May to August (extreme heat)

Garden and Floral Uses

• Excellent for containers, raised beds, cottage-style borders, and front-of-border planting.
• Suitable as a cut flower.
• Strong pollinator attractor for bees and butterflies.
• Hollyhocks easily self-seed and can establish colonies in the garden.
• Pairs beautifully with Salvia, Nigella, Snapdragons, and Larkspur in Gulf cool-season ornamental plantings.