Alcea 'Purple Rain'

Alcea 'Purple Rain': Tall, Dark and Surprisingly Slim

Deep blue-purple saucers opening up a tall, narrow spike for weeks on end. 'Purple Rain' is the slow, dramatic ballad of the back border. LIGHTERS UP.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Alcea rosea 'Purple Rain'
• Common Name: Hollyhock
• Series: Spotlight Series, bred by Jelitto Perennial Seeds
• Height: 175–180 cm (about 6 ft)
• Spread: 45–60 cm (1.5–2 ft)
• Flowers: Single, saucer-shaped flowers in deep blue-purple, opening up the spike over several weeks
• Bloom Time: Early summer to late summer (June to August)
• Foliage: Wide green leaves at the base, with sturdy, upright stems
• Features: Narrow upright habit, bred to be perennial rather than biennial

Where to Plant: Use it where you want height in a small footprint: the back of a border, along a fence, or beside a shed or garage wall. The dark colour reads best with something pale nearby. Shorter plants at its feet will hide the lower leaves if they get tired by late summer.

Companion Plants: Liatris 'Floristan White' lifts white spikes to 75 to 90 cm in the middle of the bed, a crisp contrast to the purple hollyhock flowers. Solidago 'Little Lemon' stays short at the front with yellow flowers from July to September. Sporobolus heterolepis adds a fine-textured grass that looks good from late summer into fall. All three share the hollyhock's love of full sun.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in average, well-drained soil. Water regularly through the first season, and in dry spells after that. Water the soil, not the leaves. Watch for hollyhock rust, which shows up as orange spots on the undersides of the leaves. Good air flow, removing spotted leaves, and a fall cleanup all help. In an exposed spot, stake the spikes before they get tall. Cut spent spikes back after flowering, or leave one or two to set seed. It grows a long taproot, so plant it where it can stay.

History: The garden hollyhock comes from wild plants found from Turkey into Asia and has been a cottage-garden staple for centuries. Jelitto Perennial Seeds introduced 'Purple Rain' as a new Spotlight variety in 2022, tracing it to a perennial hollyhock found in a private garden in Romania that breeders spent about 16 years refining.

Final Thoughts: Narrow enough for tight spots, tall enough to steal the show. The bees request an encore every summer. FORECAST CALLS FOR PURPLE.