Spotlight Mars Magic Hollyhock

Spotlight Mars Magic is an upright hollyhock with single bright-red flowers with lemon-yellow throats on tall, sturdy stems [as described by Acorn Farms](https://www.acornfarms.com/upload/4880). It adds a vertical midsummer accent to sunny borders, cottage gardens, and cut-flower plantings, and the Spotlight selection can flower in its first season. ## Garden use and season The cultivar is part of the Spotlight series developed by Jelitto; Walters Gardens reports bright red flowers in midsummer and describes the series as truly perennial. The detailed [Mars Magic profile](https://www.perennials.com/plants/alcea-rosea-spotlight-mars-magic.html) describes red single flowers, summer flowering, a 150–180 cm height and 30–45 cm spread, and notes that blooms may appear in the first year. Its low mound of foliage leaves the tall spikes visible. Flowering stems may attract butterflies and hummingbirds. ## Siting and care Choose full sun and moist, well-drained soil. NC State Extension gives broader species dimensions of 5–8 ft by 1–2 ft and recommends hollyhocks for borders and pollinator gardens; Illinois Extension notes that tall plants can flop in wind. The cultivar’s stored size is retained because sources report overlapping but nonidentical ranges. See the [Walters Gardens series profile](https://www.waltersgardens.com/variety.php?ID=ALCMM) and [NC State Extension](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/alcea-rosea/common-name/hollyhock/). ## Maintenance Water during establishment and extended dry weather. Stake plants in exposed sites and remove diseased foliage. The Spotlight profile recommends cutting stems back after bloom; leave seed heads if you want seedlings.