What is this?

[pandasyard]

We have been watching this "thing" grow for a while now, once it started to get really big (over 6.5ft) we couldn't chop it down and now it actually looks really good! We are now wondering what it is, we assume its a weed but would still like to know.






Thanks in advance

[veggiechicken]

Looks like a Hollyhock - but could be a Mallow.
Someone smarter than me will be along soon

[lottie dolly]

Another 1 for the good old hollyhock,lots of them in various colors down the lotties on other plots,

[Jay22]

Lavatera? We had one in our garden but it was slight darker in colour. They don't last long...maybe 10 years but the cuttings take very well. I of course didn't get round to taking cuttings from ours before it died on us!

[rustylady]

If it's that tall it's a hollyhock

[Guest]

Another one for hollyhock.

In regards to lavatera there are annual and perennial types (only found out this year) Used to love the perennial lavatera my Dad used to have

[pandasyard]

Thanks everyone!!!

Would I be able to take cutting off this one? I would love to keep it but unfortunately its right where I already have plans for and these plans cant change.

[WendyC]

Definitely hollyhock. Tend to be short lived perennials due to them getting rust on the leaves. Collect seed and sow it. Pot on the seedlings when they are big enough and overwinter in a cold frame. They should flower next year.

[Martin H]

Definitely a hollyhock. It will flower next year but won't be as good and will diminish each year until it gives up. I always plan to collect seed but never get around to it. But this means that lots of seedlings pop up in the late spring so I usually pot some of these up to flower the following year. I've got 8 plants sitting in the corner waiting to go in at the moment, not sure where I'm going to put them all!

Other people dig them up when they start into growth in the spring and pot up healthy looking offsets with a bit of root on, then grow them on and plant them out. You should be able to keep a particularly choice one going indefinitely in this way but I've never really had one of those!

[Jay22]

I wonder then if what I had wasn't a Lavetera but a Hollyhock...must go and investigate.

It was definitely a Lavetera!

[Two_Sheds]

they're both in the mallow family

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcea

[vixylix]

Its very pretty! By the sounds of it, lots of people wishing they'd saved their seeds - if you manage to do so you might want to get them on the VSP

[pandasyard]

Its very pretty! By the sounds of it, lots of people wishing they'd saved their seeds - if you manage to do so you might want to get them on the VSP

I would be happy to do that, 1 thing though........I don't know how to save seeds lmao!!!

What is required to salvage them?