{Disarmed} Siberians and Alcea rosea

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Hello – I debated whether to send this photo to Sibrob  (or anywhere) because it flies against what stands as good cultural practice but here is the story behind this messy little piece of my far-flung garden: Once upon a time, a well-meaning woman thought that a corner bit of her yard could use some sprucing up. It needed something tall and with large, colorful flowers, the woman decided. So, she obtained one packet of seeds of Alcea rosea. commonly known in North America as hollyhocks, and sowed the seeds carefully…she thought. One year passed nothing had germinated, she thought. The second year, same thing = no hollyhocks. So, the woman planted Siberians in the ‘hollyhock’ spot because she had ordered too many (again) and proceeded to think how clever she was to plant 10 Siberians in that area. The next year when she was pulling weeds (the woman does that occasionally), she noticed some large-leafed ‘weeds’ and wondered what had invaded her ,by now, Siberian bed. She already had a very nice flowering native plant who had taken up residence in that ‘Siberian’ area. The fourth year, even the well-meaning woman recognized that the hollyhocks had germinated right around the Siberians and both seemed content so she let all of them alone to grow and flower together. All the woman has to do a few times each summer is to carefully use her battery-operated grass clippings around the strange flower bed which is colorful and lovely most of the time.  The flowers lived happily-

ever-after. 

The End