Garden Giants

There's an old saying that tall fences make great neighbors but city codes have a height restriction of 6 feet when it comes to thwarting prying eyes.

Feeling the need for a little privacy? Try planting this old-fashioned favorite, Hollyhocks.* An easy re-seeder, they come back year after year, with riotous colors on sturdy stalks, towering 8-10 feet.

Placed in the back of your garden, or along property line fences, astonishing blooms of ruffly, double flowers create a privacy screen on a grand scale.

Heirloom varieties can easily reach 15-18 feet, a flowering forest for kids with over-active imaginations.

And, they do it all on their own, without coddling from you or extra help in the form of soil amendments, compost and fertilizer. In fact, my hollies don't even require regular watering.

Hollyhocks are big, bold bloomers, loaded with personality. In the midst of the hot summer, gigantic towers of flowers create a colorful, living fence.

Choose a spot in your yard that you tend to ignore, and plant a dramatic, luscious mix of fuschia, purple, yellow and black. A bright cluster of tall Hollyhocks lends a comfortable, cottage-garden feel to the landscape.

*Alcea rosea (Hollyhocks) USDA Zones 4-10, are available as perennials, biennials and easily reseeding annuals. Available in a variety of stunning, summer colors from Greystone Gardens and other cottage garden nurseries.