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.

Cuckooflower has a rosette of leaves at its base and an upright stem that bears the delicate, small, pale pink or mauve flowers. A sure sign that spring has arrived, the Cuckooflower blooms from April. Look out for its delicate, pale pink flowers in damp meadows and ditches, and on riverbanks.

The Cuckoo Flower produces loose clusters of white flowers, which have four white petals and tend to be rounded. Some flowers have a notch in the petals. The center of these flowers are made up of a light green style and 6 cream-colored stamens. They are related to mustard plants.

Cardamine pratensis, the cuckoo flower, lady’s smock, mayflower, or milkmaids, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native throughout most of Europe and Western Asia. The specific name pratensis is Latin for “meadow”.

Cuckooflower, also commonly known as ‘Lady’s-smock’, is a pretty, springtime perennial of damp, grassy places like wet meadows, ditches and riverbanks, as well as roadside verges.

Its pale pink flowers bloom from April to June and are thought to coincide with the arrival of the first Cuckoo – a sure sign that spring has arrived at last.

Cuckooflower has a rosette of leaves at its base and an upright stem that bears the delicate, small, pale pink or mauve flowers. Each flower has four petals, although double-flowered varieties do appear.

We’ll be sharing more about this flower in future.

Camellias are evergreen shrubs or small trees up to 20 m (66 ft) tall. Their leaves are alternately arranged, simple, thick, serrated, and usually glossy. Their flowers are usually large and conspicuous, one to 12 cm in diameter, with five to nine petals in naturally occurring species of camellias. The Camellia flowers have a characteristic glossy leaf and are classified as evergreens.

These are long-lived plants that typically flower between fall and spring, with blooms that are white, pink, crimson, or derivatives of these colors. They grow well in container gardens as well as in a mixed shrub border.

Camellias are evergreen shrubs or small trees up to 20 m (66 ft) tall. Their leaves are alternately arranged, simple, thick, serrated, and usually glossy.

Their flowers are usually large and conspicuous, one to 12 cm in diameter, with five to nine petals in naturally occurring species of camellias.

The colors of the flowers vary from white through pink colors to red; truly yellow flowers are found only in South China and Vietnam. Tea varieties are always white-flowered.

Camellia flowers throughout the genus are characterized by a dense bouquet of conspicuous yellow stamens, often contrasting with the petal colors.

The so-called “fruit” of camellia plants is a dry capsule, sometimes subdivided in up to five compartments, each compartment containing up to eight seeds.

The various species of camellia plants are generally well-adapted to acid soils rich in humus, and most species do not grow well on chalky soil or other calcium-rich soils.

Most species of camellias also require a large amount of water, either from natural rainfall or from irrigation, and the plants will not tolerate droughts. However, some of the more unusual camellias – typically species from karst soils in Vietnam – can grow without too much water.

Camellia plants usually have a rapid growth rate. Typically they will grow about 30 cm per year until mature – though this does vary depending on their variety and geographical location.

We’ll be sharing more about this flower in future.

These bright blossoming flowers are a favorite of many gardeners. Once established these plants can bloom for many years and will continue to grace your garden with bright and beautiful colors.

Begonias have succulent stems; shiny, rounded, green or reddish-brown leaves and grow in a mounded habit. They bloom with 1-1/2-inch single or double flowers in shades of red, pink, or white.

Typically used as houseplants and in shaded summer beds, begonias have tropical and subtropical origins. Some are grown for their asymmetrical, patterned and variegated foliage, and others to add color to shady garden areas with their bright blooms. Although typically on the smaller side, begonia plants pack a big punch of color and interest.

Begonia, (genus Begonia), any of about 1,000 species of mostly rather succulent plants in the family Begoniaceae, many with colourful flowers or leaves and used as pot plants indoors or as garden plants. They are from the tropics and subtropics.

Sun: They require the full sun but can handle partial shade as well.

Water: Once you plant it, you will need to water the plant very generously to settle the soil around the plant. After it has been established, you will need to water it enough to keep the ground moist but not soggy.

We’ll be sharing more about this flower in future.