BLACK HOLLYHOCK
alcea rosea nigra
Description
The tall spiers of hollyhock with their open flowers facing the sun fit in well on our century-old homestead although black is not a colour one expects to see in the flower garden. We grow both single and double black hollyhocks. They are biennial so patience is required (the plant grows the first year and produces a flower the next year) as well as a measure of trust that the plant taking up a large amount of space is indeed a black one and not one of the many other colours that hollyhock comes in.
Experiments
In a dye bath, hollyhock creates greens, greys and occasionally blues/purples. In eco-prints, hollyhock creates a stunning vivid purple as on the T-shirt below.
Click here for general dyeing information.
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