Pointing to the sky in high summer is what I think of as a classic cottage garden flower – the hollyhock.

Available in many colours, I have always liked the deep burgundy ‘Nigra’, which is almost black, as its name implies and I also prefer the single flower type. The doubles are just too frilly for me and also frustrate the bees.

Alcea rosea, the common hollyhock, loves sun and free draining soil and will seed freely around the garden in favourable positions, even against house walls in tiny pockets of soil. The best ones are actually often self-sown, but I do sow some into pots and transplant them out. Not strictly perennial, I would treat them as biennials. Excellent for adding height to a garden.

Display at RHS Hampton Court flower show by Botanic Nursery, Wiltshire

I like the ‘Halo’ series, especially Halo ‘Candy’, ‘Cream’ and ‘Apricot’. They remind me of the colour and pattern of old fashioned summer dresses. I have seen them displayed beautifully at various flower shows by the Botanic Nursery from Wiltshire, most recently at the RHS Hampton Court show. I have Halo ‘Cream’ flowering in my garden at the moment and succumbed to buying a packet of Halo ‘Apricot’ seeds. This strain is called Halo because the central disc is generally a darker colour. They are descended from species originally introduced from Turkey and Kurdistan which are more resistant to rust, a fungal infection the older sorts suffer from.

Alcea rugosa

Alcea rugosa is also less prone to rust. This unusual species, with pale-yellow flowers, has fig-leaf shaped foliage and is a true perennial. I have grown it for many years, although my last clump dwindled in size last season after 6-7 years in the same place, so I collected the seed to start off fresh plants.The flowers are also distinctive in that, unlike other hollyhocks, they have a lobed appearance. This plant is a native of Russia and I was pleased to see them feature at the Hampton Court Show in Anton Chekov’s garden, a Russian-themed show garden.

High summer in the Chilterns

After a very hot day at the show we drove back to stay with friends who live in the Chilterns. As I was handed a reviving glass of chilled Cava and sat outside in the cool of the evening, I spotted several wonderful hollyhocks thriving on the free draining flinty soil. All self sown!