Hollyhocks

h

roses tremieres, or hollyhocks, grow all over the place in the department of charente-maritime where my parents live. 

while looking for some information about them for this post, i learned that they're grown in the US as well.   this surprised me since to me they're so quintessentially charentais, like oysters, houses covered in white stucco, with red tile roofs and blue shutters, cognac and pineau, and ugly plaid slippers.