# How to Trim Hollyhocks
Old-fashioned hollyhocks are tall, trumpet-flowered plants that love sunny gardens and thrive in some difficult soils. They are annual or biennials that can become perennials because they so readily self-sow. Trimming your hollyhocks in the fall is one way to maintain a consistent look to your hollyhock garden. You must cut them back before their round seed pods turn brown and scatter if you don't want them to self-sow and reproduce at will.
Things You'll Need
- Garden gloves
- Clippers
- Straw or mulch
Instructions
-
-
1
Cut back your healthy hollyhocks in early fall, after they have stopped blooming, if you do not want your plants to self-sow. Clip the main stalk down below the foliage line, until about 4 to 6 inches of the stalk remain.
-
2
Dress the stalk with straw or mulch about 6 inches deep. This helps protect the plant during the cold winter months.
-
3
Trim off any diseased or infected hollyhock leaves as they appear. Clear the diseased plant parts away from your garden and do not compost them. Hollyhock diseases such as rust can overwinter and reinfect your plants in the spring.
-
1
Previous:
Next:
