Hollyhocks provide a dramatic backdrop – Propagation and Pest control

Besides gardening, I love birds and have several birdhouses in my garden. A few years ago, in early spring, I found a couple of plants growing at the base of a birdhouse in the backyard. At first, I thought they were weeds. I was tempted to pull them out, but I was also curious to see if   ere would be any flowers on these rapidly growing plants. So, I decided to let them grow. In a few weeks, I recognized those plants: they were hollyhocks. Since I did not plant them, I suspect they were a gift via droppings of the birds nesting in the birdhouse. Hollyhocks belong to the Malvaceae family, or mallows, a botanical family with over 80 plant species. Native to Asia and Europe, hollyhocks grow best in full sun. They can be found in a variety of colors ranging from almost white to fiery red, pink, yellow and deep burgundy. Due to their height (6 to 8 feet), it's a good idea to grow hollyhocks against a wall to provide some wind protection as the plants have a long, straight stem with buds and flowers. Hollyhock buds start to appear in spring with flowers blooming by midsummer. Hollyhocks are biennials, which means that the plant will not produce flowers until the second year after it is planted and will die after flowering. Despite being biennial, they are prolific re-seeders that seem to come back year after year. Once the flowers are spent, a seed pod appears in its place. In time, the seed pod turns dry and brown with mature seeds. If left undisturbed, the plant will eventually drop seeds on the ground and new plants will follow the next year. Now I have several hollyhock plants in my garden. This year, before the buds opened, I noticed several small holes in almost all the leaves. The holes were scattered throughout the leaf. Upon closer inspection, I could see several tiny black bugs with what appeared to be elongated snouts. It was clear that they were routinely dining on the hollyhocks. I set out to investigate these tiny but destructive creatures. On the University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources Integrated Pest Management (UCIMP) website, I was able to identify them as weevils or snout beetles (family Curculionidae). There are more than 1,000 species of weevils in California. While most are harmless, some are common garden pests with each type having its own preferred host plants. Hosts for weevils include roses, fruit and nut trees, vegetables, and other herbaceous and woody plants. Adults like to eat leaves and buds but the larvae of some species feed on roots of the plants. You can learn more about weevils here. The ones I found on my plants are hollyhock weevils (Rhopalapion longirostre), which are tiny black snout beetles about 1/8 to 1/4 inch long. Now that I knew what was eating my hollyhocks, the next step was to send them packing. The UCIPM site suggests that the best way to deal with weevils is to hand-pick them. I armed myself with ½ cup of soapy water, hand-picked the weevils and dropped them into the cup. If you are a little squeamish about picking up bugs, try simply holding the cup close to the plant and flicking the buds, stems, and leaves of the plant, which will dislodge the weevils into the soapy water. It took more than a week of checking and sending a whole lot of weevils for a ‘forever swim' in the soapy water to control their population. I have been checking my hollyhocks daily and don't see many weevils. When I do find a couple of stragglers, I promptly deliver them to the swimming pool (aka soapy water). Thanks to the birds, I'm so happy that hollyhocks showed up in my garden. Having them in the garden and the presence of weevils led me to learn more about them. I have learned about their growth habit, mature height, and re-seeding tendency. I also learned to identify a pest that plagues them, and I learned an effective, environmentally friendly way to control them. I hope that you consider growing hollyhocks. They are beautiful and colorful, and their impressive height adds a dramatic backdrop to existing plantings. Despite their heigh, they don't need staking, just wind protection. Best of all, they are quite easy to grow if you can find a sunny spot in your garden. Workshop: Join UC Master Gardeners of Napa County for a workshop on “A Succulent/Dry Garden is Dry, Not Drab, and Totally Fab!” on Saturday, July 29, from 10 am to noon, at Las Flores Learning Garden, 4300 Linda Vista Avenue, Napa. Learn how to put amazing water-saving succulent plants to work in your home landscape. Register at:  https://ucanr.edu/2023lflg-julsucculentsLibrary Talk: Join UC Master Gardeners of Napa for “Smart Landscaping with Ornamental Vines” on Thursday, August 3, from 7 pm to 8 pm via Zoom. Learn more about vine behavior, cultivation and control and suggested species for Napa Valley. Register to receive the zoom link: https://ucanr.edu/2023aug3librarytalk .