GardenMuse | Story, Photos and Illustration by Paula Steers Brown, Contributing Columnist Happy Hollyhocks The hollyhock, Alcea rosea, is a cottage garden plant, the flower of the common man. In the South hollyhocks are often seen near a barn or along a fence where they can grow expansively to their full height and spread their huge, coarse leaves to screen rustic outbuildings. They evoke nostalgia, a simpler time and the fresh air of the country. 36 | Cooperative Living | June 2017 www.co-opliving.comhttp://www.co-opliving.com