Sep 29, 2025—Hollyhocks are the fertility flower extraordinaire. Erect stalks shooting skyward, flowers bursting open bloom after bloom like Fourth of July. Each day, another blossom—or two!—climbing toward the heavens. You get the picture. The word “hollyhock” comes from Old English, “holy” and “hoc.” Translating directly, the flower is a “holy this”.
Symbol of Fertility, Abundance, and Renewal
As a fertility flower and “holy this”, hollyhocks embody renewal and rebirth. This perennial flower returns year after year with greater energy. Many cultures saw hollyhocks as living talismans. Planting them invited prosperity, protected against sadness, and inspired ambition. A garden lined with hollyhocks wasn’t just beautiful—it was an energetic blessing.
All-in-One Survival Kit
Hollyhocks also play a role in herbal medicine. They’ve been used to ease menstrual cramps, reduce hemorrhage, calm coughs, improve circulation, and soothe chapped skin when applied as a poultice. And if you’re hungry? Nearly every part of the plant is edible—roots, leaves, and flowers alike. They can decorate a salad, add nutrients, and provide food in lean times. The hollyhock offers beauty, medicine, nourishment, all in one—a true “holy this”.
The Outhouse Flower?
I’ll leave you with this a quirky bit: In Victorian times, hollyhocks were often planted around outhouses where they provided fencelike privacy. It was wonderful because women could remain genteel by politely enquiring, “Where might the hollyhocks grow?” I believe we have found the crushing disadvantage of indoor plumbing: No hollyhocks!
Beauty and the Brain
When beauty strikes, your brain lights up the same pleasure centers that awaken when you see someone you love. Blood flow surges in the medial orbitofrontal cortex, joy spills into your bloodstream, and the world feels wider, brighter, more tender (Culture Collective, 2016). Today’s painting, Hollyhock Rock, inspired by a friend’s hollyhock patch, elevates my mood every time I see it.
Hollyhock Rock, 24 x 36 inches, 2024, oil on canvas by Lauren Forcella
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