Your Hollyhock Seeds
Late November 2024, a few little leaves appeared amongst the mowed weeds at the back of the garden. Brave little plant, I thought. I left it to do its thing. No water. No fuss. Just quiet admiration for its determination to grow in the harshest of conditions.
By mid January it was tall enough for me to see its sweet, delicate pink flowers from my kitchen window. Such resolve. Such certainty in its own becoming.
There were strict instructions issued to anyone holding a whipper snipper or lawnmower. Leave the hollyhock.
Fourteen months on, it is still flowering. Sometimes one bloom. Sometimes many. But always at least one soft pink, fluttering reminder that beauty can thrive in the most unexpected places.
The hollyhock is known for its height and strength. Its sturdy stem reaches confidently skyward, while its petals remain soft, joyful, and unapologetically feminine. In pink, it carries compassion and connection. It reminds us that resilience does not require hardness. We can be grounded and expansive. Strong and tender. Determined and joyful.
This same hollyhock has now shared its seeds with you, harvested just last week. A couple of its sisters in another garden bed have shared theirs too. They live in hard climes as well. They wanted you to know that thriving is possible here.
As we gather for International Women’s Day with EmpowHer Circle Adelaide, the pink hollyhock becomes more than a flower. It is a living symbol of women who rise in difficult soil, who protect one another’s growth, who lift each other higher, and who continue to bloom, season after season.
May you stand tall.
May you scatter seeds.
May you always remember that even one bloom is enough.
