Hollyhocks

Years ago, Karen and I visited the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on vacation. My family had vacationed in Michigan every summer when I was a kid, so I was anxious to show Karen some of my favorite spots. One day we took a ferry to Mackinac Island. By sheet coincidence, the day we were there was also the day of the finish of the Chicago to Mackinac Island sailboat race. As each boat passed the lighthouse, a cannon sounded to signal their crossing the finish line. Karen and I watched several boats finish the race and I took pictures that hang on the wall of the office at One Love Farm. The other striking thing about the island is the residents love for Hollyhocks. Many of the island cottages have hollyhocks behind white picket fences or framing doorways making for a quite a sight when they bloom every July.

Hollyhocks are biennial meaning they will bloom one year, seed the next and then bloom again the following year. They come in many colors and we love our hollyhocks for their striking black color. This creates quite a contrast to the orange Tiger Lillies which bloom at the same time.