Alcea rugosa | Russian hollyhock

Regular price: $8.99
Regular price
Sale price: $8.99

Shipping calculated at checkout.

4" pot

order now for FALL 2025 shipping or pickup

Grown from seed in living soil without the use of pesticides, chemicals, or carbon fuels.

Hollyhocks are classic English cottage garden plants. Unlike most of its relatives, A. rugosa (Russian Hollyhock) can be grown as a true perennial and will persist in the garden for years undisturbed by rust or fungal disease (supposedly). Pale yellow petals appear almost translucent. Grow this beauty in sun or shade but be sure to provide fertile, moist-but-well drained soil for best results.

syn. Alcea taurica

Note: Our farm was hit hard by rust in 2024. These plants are supposed to be resistant, but we are holding them to see if that proves true. If it does, we will ship in fall 2025. If not, we will continue our search for a truly disease-resistant hollyhock.

Zones: 4 to 8
Family: Malvaceae
Type: Perennial
Height: 48 to 108 in.
Spread: 18 to 24 in.
Exposure: full sun
Soil Conditions: average, medium, well-drained
Bloom Time: July to August
Bloom Color: pale lemon yellow
Native Range: Caucasus, Crimea, European Russia, Ukraine

Special Characteristics

Natural dye plant
Architectural
Deer-resistant
Juglone tolerant

image credits

@ The Old Dairy Nursery

Ordering information

Preorders

You may place your order anytime to reserve plants for fall 2025 shipment. If you place multiple orders, we will combine plants into one box (or as many as needed) and any extra shipping charges will be refunded.

We will resume shipping plants as soon as temperatures cool in our location and yours.

We will check in with you a week before shipping to make sure you receive your plants at a time that is convenient for you.

Shipping

Live plants ship in spring and fall only. Plants may ship dormant, depending on variety and season. Shipping costs are most reasonable when bundling like size plants.

4-inch: 1-6 plants ship for $15.00 / 7-13 plants ship for $18.00 / 14-30 plants ship for $40.00
1-gal: 1-2 plants ship for $18.00 / 3-4 plants ship for $25.00 / 5-6 plants ship for $40.00
trees & shrubs: $27.00-$40.00 each, height dependent
seeds: $6.75 or free with orders over $15.00

We regret that we cannot ship internationally or to the following states: AK, AZ, CA, CO, FL, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, or WA.

Nursery pick up

Plants can be collected from the nursery Monday through Sunday from 10am-4pm in Spring, Summer, and Fall. We prefer 24 hour notice to get your order together and will email you when ready for collection.

Plant Sizes

We most commonly use the following pot sizes for perennials:

4-inch pot: 3.5" H x 3.5" W x 3.5" D
2-quart pot: 6" H x 5.25" W x 5.25" D
1-gallon pot: 6.87" H x 8" Dia (this is a true one gallon pot, not the smaller 'trade' one gallon pot used by many nurseries)

Check out our illustrated pot size guide here.

Representative trees & shrubs are photographed in their pots and posted on each plant page.

Sustainability

Sustainability is at the heart of what we do at The Old Dairy. We grow all of our plants outdoors without the use of chemicals, fertilizers, carbon fuels, or peat.

Many of our perennials are grown in the ground and dug upon order (this is especially true for larger sizes). This practice allows us to grow stronger, healthier plants using native soil, and ultimately reduces our impact on the environment.

Our open-pollinated seeds are collected from plants in our mother beds, which have never been treated with chemicals or sprays of any kind.

Read all about our sustainable practices here.