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Q: I have questions about planting hollyhock seeds. We have a space in the backyard, where wildflowers come up each year, where I鈥檇 like to plant them. That space gets full sun daily. I鈥檝e read to mix them with sand so they spread more evenly, or soak them in water for a while before planting them. What do you recommend on the planting? And what care do they need after? 鈥� C.F., sa国际传媒官网网页入口

A: Here鈥檚 what I think. First, I want you to recognize that most hollyhock seed is what I鈥檇 call wind blown. When a hollyhock matures it spreads its seeds with help from the wind and a lot grow where they fall.

So I think you鈥檒l want to rough up the soil in the spaces where you desire the hollyhocks to grow. A hand rake is good for this type of soil 鈥渇luffing.鈥欌�� Once you have the soil fluffed, dampen it. Then sprinkle the seed in those spots. Mixing with sand or soaking the seed is OK. Especially with the sand so you can see where you鈥檝e chosen to spread the seed.

Next, using the flip side of a stiff-tined rake, tamp the seeded areas firmly so the seeds get 鈥渃emented鈥� in the soil. You can even walk on those spots so the seed gets depressed into the fluffed up soil. In other words, you鈥檙e not burying them, you are just having them be able to grab the soil, keeping them from being blown away. You can sprinkle the barest amount of garden soil or more sand to cover, but don鈥檛 bury the seed so to speak.

Then, you鈥檒l want to keep the areas dampened. Light sprinkles of water, perhaps daily for the first ten days to two weeks, will encourage the seed to germinate and grab hold of their new homes.

As to care for the coming growing season, if you鈥檝e been able to keep wildflowers growing in those spaces, that鈥檚 what you want the hollyhock to get adapted to. Keep tabs on the young plants and if they look a bit thirstier that the surrounding plants, use a watering can to offer a bit more water. Hollyhocks are pretty sturdy so they should fit right in with the others that you have growing, just monitor them for some extra care so they settle in for you. Good luck!

Dear readers: I was talking to my friend and she鈥檚 so excited that the bulbs she鈥檇 planted last fall are popping up. She asked if it is too early to be seeing them and what care should she be offering the young plants now. I suggested water.

With the stout winds we鈥檝e been experiencing lately, the amount of water being wicked away from the ground is immeasurable. By offering a watering to the newly-planted bulb bed, those youngsters will be more protected.

I explained that if the temperatures turn cold again, by having the soil wet the bulbs are more protected.

She laughed and said that 鈥渃ertainly we aren鈥檛 going to have any more frosty weather鈥� and I chuckled saying, 鈥渨ell, I wish I had your crystal ball!鈥� She laughed again, but the 鈥渟eed鈥� was planted in her brain that maybe it could get that cold again.

I suggested that if it was going to get really frosty at night, she needs to water before sunset. Now, if it does get really cold, 25 degrees or lower, consider tenting the bed with a sheet of plastic or covering the bulb clumps with upturned buckets or garbage cans to keep the frost off the plants.

Notice I didn鈥檛 say lay a covering directly on top of the plants. I said tent. You don鈥檛 want any covering touching the plants as the frost would still be able to damage what鈥檚 underneath by touching.

Having left the fickle month of February and heading into March, which seems to have come 鈥渋n like a lion,鈥� keeping things watered and offering protection will be the smartest things you can do for the next several weeks.

Happy Diggin鈥� In!

Tracey Fitzgibbon is a certified nurseryman. Send garden-related questions to Digging In, sa国际传媒官网网页入口, 7777 Jefferson St. NE, sa国际传媒官网网页入口, N.M. 87109, or to features@abqjournal.com.