From my perspective as a hollyhock, I am a short-lived perennial, though many humans treat me as a biennial. This means my energy is focused on storing resources in my crown and root system to survive the winter and bloom again. My taproot delves deep into the soil, which is my greatest asset against the cold. It acts as an anchor and a storage unit for the nutrients I will need to tap into when the ground warms again. My goal is not to grow during the cold months, but to enter a state of dormancy, a deep sleep where my metabolic processes slow to a bare minimum to conserve energy and protect my vital core from freezing temperatures.
As the days shorten and the air turns crisp, I stop putting energy into producing new flowers and foliage. Instead, I begin pulling energy from my dying leaves back down into my roots. You can help me immensely by providing one last, gentle feeding with a fertilizer that is high in potassium and low in nitrogen. This final meal strengthens my cell walls and increases my overall hardiness, making me more resistant to frost damage. It is not food for growth, but rather medicine for resilience, allowing my root system to become as fortified as possible before the deep freeze sets in.
While my above-ground stalks and seed heads may appear dead to you, they serve a crucial purpose for me. Leaving them standing provides a small degree of protection for my central crown—the point from which all new growth will emerge in spring. More importantly, please do not strip away all the fallen leaves around my base. Instead, gently mound a thick, loose layer of organic mulch around me. Use shredded leaves, straw, or evergreen boughs. This layer is not just a blanket; it is a sophisticated climate regulation system. It prevents the soil from undergoing rapid freeze-thaw cycles that can heave my roots from the ground, and it maintains a consistently cold temperature, which is far less damaging than fluctuating warmth and cold.
My dormant state means I require very little water, as I am not actively growing. However, my roots must not be allowed to sit in cold, waterlogged soil, as this will cause them to rot and decay, a fate far worse than freezing. Ensuring the soil around me has excellent drainage is paramount. The mulch layer will help moderate soil moisture, but it should be applied to soil that is not already saturated. A cold, dry root system is a dormant and safe root system. Conversely, a moist, warm environment around my crown during winter can encourage fungal diseases and rot, which is why good air circulation provided by my standing stalks and a loose mulch is so vital.
