DOUBLE BLACK HOLLYHOCK

Alcea rosea is a stately biennial or short-lived perennial in the mallow family, grown for centuries as a cottage-garden staple. This selection carries fully double flowers in a burgundy-maroon so deep it reads as near-black, stacked along upright stems that often reach six feet or more and bloom from midsummer into early autumn. The dark, ruffled blooms make a dramatic vertical accent at the back of a border or against a fence or wall, and bumblebees work them steadily despite the doubled form.