Hollyhock - Alcea rosea
Hollyhocks like rich, free draining soil in a sunny position. They are perennials, but are usually grown as biennials.
They can suffer from rust, there's not too much that you do about this, apart from remove the plant after flowering. However, companion planting with Achilla millefolium (common yarrow), the leaves and roots are rich in copper which is a natural fungicide, which may help.
They will self-set freely or pick off the seed heads and sow the seeds as soon as the are ripe in pots or open ground in autumn, they will flower the following year.
Suggested sowing time:
(Key: 
sow indoors,
sow outside,
sow outside under cover.)
Cultivars and varieties:
Alcea rosea 'Chater's Double' - has a double flower and is named after the nurseryman W. Chater who grew hollyhocks in his garden in the 1840-50's.
Alcea rosea 'Nigra' - Has a deep red/maroon flower.
Seeds to plant now:
Indoor or in a heated greenhouse
Coriander
Cress
Forget-me-not
Ornamental pepper
Outside
Antwerp hollyhock, Fig-leaved hollyhock, hollyhock
Aubretia, Rock cress, Aubrieta, Aubrietia
Basil, Sweet basil, Common basil
Beet, Beetroot, Chard
Beetroot, Garden beet
Borecole, Kale
Bristly hollyhock
Broccoli
Cabbage
Candytuft
Cardoon
Carrot
Cauliflower
Celery
Common hollyhock
Cornflower
Delphinium
French bean, fine bean
Italian beetroot, Beetroot, Garden beet
Kohl rabi
Love-in-a-mist
Marrow
Nasturtium
Normandy sorrel
Ornamental winter kale
Radish
Spinach
Spinach, Summer spinach
Spring onion
Sweet corn
Sweet pea
Swiss chard, Ruby chard, Rhubard chard
Turnip
Outside under cover
Sweet corn
