Alcea, Common Hollyhock, Garden Hollyhock 'Indian Spring'

I started both Indian Spring and Nigra hollyhocks under lights in March, put them out in late May. They were eaten to the ground by a woo...Read Moredchuck but came back. No flowers from Nigra this year, but Indian Spring started blooming in July. Colors I got were deep red, magenta pink, soft pink, and white. The red topped out around 5 ft and blooms were a bit smaller, but it flowered a month earlier and was a bloom machine. No rust, no pests -- tho the cool, dry summer (NW Iowa) may have affected that -- and unlike my Creme de Cassis hollyhocks, these never needed staking. They attracted bumblebees and hummingbirds like crazy. Really couldn't ask for more from this one.

I am in Zone 5. Hollyhock, in my experience, is very prone to rust infestations. While I respect organic gardeners, for this disease spra...Read Moreying with a disease preventative has always worked to prevent if sprayed before, and stop/eliminate the disease if sprayed when the rust is noticed. Rust is a nasty/ugly disease, and it attacks Aster plants too. For me, spraying those two plants to prevent/eliminate rust is a worthwhile trade to enjoy the beautiful flowers of Hollyhock and Aster. Using a hose end sprayer, and the upwards angled nozzle, try to spray the underside of the leaves which is where the rust actually is located, although we see it on the topside of the leaf. And spraying the ground around the plant, especially the crown helps too. Rust seems to hold over in the soil, or likely in the dormant crown, so a good spraying of that area in the early Spring, followed by vigilance to stop an outbreak has dependably worked for me to continue to enjoy these beautiful plants. Just for the record, so one is aware of what success looks like, after spraying, the disease will be stopped, but of course any leaves already pock-marked will still be pock-marked, but the disease will no longer be active or spreading. And staking is usually required especially after the plants have reached their tall height, and the winds start swaying them around. Staking, if not several early clippings on the Aster, is also required. The florist/plant centers clip back the asters to keep them "cushiony" when they reach bloom. Unchecked in the garden the plants can grow 4 feet high, and they will flop. And here I'm referring to the "New England Asters" not the florist Aster.

I though the hibiscus looking flowers on this variety were nice. They needed a bit of staking to stay up, they really wanted to flop over...Read More. I started mine indoors in December and it was early enough to tricke them into blooming first year.

Warning for southern California: I had serious trouble with scale infesting my hollyhocks and the rubbing alcohol didn't work to get them off. The plants made it to bloom and seed, but the scale seriously uglified the leaves :/

This rating could be positive, since its vigor was a major boon to my garden, but Puccinia malvacearum, the hollyhock rust struck, with t...Read Morehe "small light reddish brown pustules" on the underside of a variety of leaves, old, young, healthy.
I sowed these in mid April, and three months later, my robust crop was 4' high and about to flower! They got morning shade and intense afternoon heat. Even with the rust I enjoyed one season of the flowers, into November. Come spring however the rust was total and complete, disfiguring what tried to be perennial and requiring total demolition of the area. I am planting native shrubs in that area now, no more risks.