Plant Encyclopedia

Other Names:  Fig Leaf Hollyhock

Description:

Like the lights of Vegas, the large, saucer shaped flowers appear in a multitude of colors, red, copper, brown, yellow, pink, and white; a great vertical accent for the garden or border

Ornamental Features

Las Vegas Hollyhock features bold spikes of white round flowers with buttery yellow centers rising above the foliage from early to late summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its large lobed leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Las Vegas Hollyhock is an herbaceous perennial with a rigidly upright and towering form. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Self-Seeding

Las Vegas Hollyhock is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Vertical Accent
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Las Vegas Hollyhock will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity extending to 6 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 18 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. The flower stalks can be weak and so it may require staking in exposed sites or excessively rich soils. It grows at a fast rate, and tends to be biennial, meaning that it puts on vegetative growth the first year, flowers the second, and then dies. However, this variety tends to self-seed and will thereby endure for years in the garden if allowed, although because it is a hybrid, the seedlings may not come true to type. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.