Alcea rosea Alcea rosea Alcea rosea, the common hollyhock, is an ornamental plant in the family Malvaceae. It was imported into Europe from southwestern China during, or possibly before, the 15th century. William Turner, a herbalist of the time, gave it the name "holyoke" from which the English name derives. "Alcea rosea" is variously described as a biennial (having a two-year life cycle), as an annual, or as a short-lived perennial. It frequently self-sows, which may create a perception that the plants are perennial. The plant may flower during its first year when sown early. It will grow in a wide range
Golding Constable's Flower Garden after Constable's mother had died after falling ill in one of the gardens and when his father was seriously ill. The gardens were demolished after the family home was sold in 1839. Golding Constable's Flower Garden Golding Constable's Flower Garden is an 1815 painting by John Constable. The work shows the flower garden belonging to Constable's father, Golding Constable, who lived in the Suffolk village of East Bergholt. The painting was donated by the grandson of the pioneering travel agent Ernest Edward Cook, who left his art collection to the Art Fund, which distributed it to nearly a hundred British