Hollyhocks?

Question

I have purchased one hollyhock over the years and yes it has mutiplied its burgandy I have planted seeds for yellow holly hock my question is does holly hock hybranized itself because now I have 4 shades of pink holy hock and one peach colored one I think it is great but I am curious

Answer 1

I am not sure, but I suspect that is similar to Bearded Iris seeds.   If a person takes the seeds out of the bulblets left when an Iris blooms, you can plant these seeds and each one will develop its own color and size.  

I think you can take the hollyhock seed, and look at them with a magnifying glass, and sort them by size, appearance and then plant them separately as you wish, and you will discover to your surprise, that by recording where you planted them, you will know which ones to plant next time.

I have spent hours sorting seeds from my yard and garden perennials and annuals.   Some years the plants will not grow, because they are bi-annual in nature.   So count on spending time with them, and get to know your seeds.

Answer 2

The seeds from your plant produce different coloured plants caused by pollination of a different coloured hollyhock in the past.