Chater's Double Hollyhock is a stunning cultivar of Alcea rosea that transforms the classic hollyhock into something truly spectacular, with fully doubled flowers that look almost too perfect to be real. These towering plants reach 5 to 8 feet tall and thrive in hardiness zones 2 through 8, making them accessible to gardeners across most of North America. The double blooms stack densely up sturdy stems in a wide range of colors, creating a romantic, old-fashioned garden focal point that seems lifted straight from Victorian landscapes. Hardy to frost and requiring only moderate water and full sun, Chater's Double is surprisingly low-maintenance once established, though its sensitive roots demand careful handling during transplanting.
Full Sun
Moderate
2-8
96in H x ?in W
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Moderate
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The doubled flowers are the real showstopper here, petal after petal unfurling in dense rosettes that seem almost excessive in their fullness, utterly unlike the single-flowered hollyhocks you might remember from cottage gardens. Growing 60 to 96 inches tall, these plants command attention in any border and create immediate vertical drama without fussiness. The combination of cold hardiness down to zone 2, moderate water needs, and preference for full sun makes them surprisingly adaptable across diverse growing regions. Start seeds indoors in biodegradable pots 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost, or direct sow after frost danger passes, and you'll have those architectural spires blooming within the same season.
Chater's Double Hollyhock is grown as an ornamental flowering plant for borders, cottage gardens, and cut flower arrangements where its tall, densely-flowered spires add vertical structure and romantic charm to mixed plantings.
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Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your average last frost date in biodegradable pots, as roots are sensitive to disturbance and transplanting shock. Keep seeds at 65 to 75°F for germination. Sow seeds just pressed into the soil surface without covering.
Transplant seedlings outdoors 6 to 8 weeks after sowing, planting the entire biodegradable pot directly into the ground to minimize root disturbance. Alternatively, transplant after your average last frost date has passed.
Sow directly outdoors 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date, or 2 months before your average first fall frost date for late-season flowering.
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