Growing hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) in the garden is a goal of many gardeners who remember these impressive flowers from their youth. Hollyhocks add drama and height, making an impressive backdrop to shorter perennials.

Alcea is a genus of about 60 species of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae, commonly known as the hollyhocks. 

They are native to Asia and Europe. The single species of hollyhock from the Americas, the streambank wild hollyhock, belongs to a different genus.

Hollyhocks are annual, biennial, or perennial plants usually taking an erect, unbranched form. 

The herbage usually has a coating of star-shaped hairs. The leaf blades are often lobed or toothed, and are borne on long petioles. The flowers may be solitary or arranged in fascicles or racemes. The notched petals are usually over three centimeters wide and may be pink, white, purple, or yellow. The fruit is a schizocarp, a dry disc divided into over 15 sections that contain seeds.