My poor hollyhocks 😥

Mine always have rust - so I remove their lower leaves. They still do fine, but look rather odd, so I plant them behind small shrubs these days!

No rust here; but battered by the wind - I have given up trying to make it stand up!

Some are valiantly blooming despite being ravaged by rust. I cut off a mass of horrendously diseased leaves yesterday. 😥

If you don’t mind sending me your address in a PM utterbliss I will gladly send you some seeds. I have single red, rose pink, pale pink and white hollyhocks.

Bad luck OP.
Mine are somehow rust free and self seeding but all the seedlings come up yellow-flowered whereas I far prefer the pink ones that I planted at the same time. Bother.
Mine are old-fashioned singles that I thought I liked better than doubles, (ex the v dark ones) but this pale yellow clashes with other things so now I pull off the seed heads.

Thanks for the advice GSM and Primrose. Unfortunately,
no one seems to grow them around here. South of Birmingham.

What a lovely idea to send seeds to people.

Perhaps I should put out a plea. Stamped address envelope provided by me of cause.

utterbliss

Hello GMS, I have always wanted to grow hollyhocks. I bought two expensive small plants last year. They were doing well until my cat decided they were in her favourite sunny snoozing spot.!!

I do not have a greenhouse so can not grow from seed. Any advice? ( apart from getting rid of the cat )

My Mum’s garden was packed with them in every colour. All self seeded. We used to save all the seeds and give them to friends and family to scatter in their gardens. We sent some to relatives in Scotland and Ireland as well as this county.
Do you have neighbour’s who might give you some seeds?

Mine are all self-seeded. I don’t have a greenhouse either. I would say this is the time to sow some seeds, just put them in the ground, on or only just below the surface, away from the cat (!). I’m getting so many little plants popping up now as the dead flowers drop off onto the ground, even in gravel. God has kindly been watering them for me but they like a dry sunny spot. They will be big plants next summer.

Hello GMS, I have always wanted to grow hollyhocks. I bought two expensive small plants last year. They were doing well until my cat decided they were in her favourite sunny snoozing spot.!!

I do not have a greenhouse so can not grow from seed. Any advice? ( apart from getting rid of the cat )

Oh, lucky you! I hope they do well.

Gsm My neighbour/friend gave me 3 very healthy looking hollyhock plants yesterday. They should be that wonderful dark red shade. 🤞

Yes Primrose, the weather’s not been good. I feel sorry for people on holiday. But yes, we do have brilliant hollyhocks! They must like the sea air, and they look lovely with flint walls and panties. I was surveying all my little seedlings this morning and there will be lots more to come. I’m tempted to just leave them where they are, not pull them out. There’ll be some absolute hollyhock forests here next year!

All my hollyhocks are self seeded from a neighbours plants. They are mostly rust free, they are probably reasonably resistant as they’re from quite old stock. I have removed any spotted leaves.
I love them, but they are dark red or dark pink, I might try introducing some pale colours.

Germanshepherdsmum

Strangely, my hollyhocks have suffered very little from rust this year. They usually get hit quite badly. We’ve had so much rain here in Norfolk this year that I’m wondering if that’s stopped the spores from spreading. I’ve got so many seedlings coming up too.

Not been a brilliant summer here has it gsm? We had 3 weeks of cold, misty weather that lasted until 11 June. Then we had a couple of nice weeks, then rain and an odd lovely day.

Regarding the hollyhocks have you seen the N Norfolk coastal villages of Blakeney, Cley, Salthouse this year …. Hollyhocks are glorious!

Redhead56

I got rust on my lilies I tried a few ideas but the plants just got over it naturally eventually. My hollyhocks are the same pink doubles influenced by Monty Don on Gardeners World. I ordered them and they were gorgeous planted out but the rain was so heavy for weeks the heads dropped off them. Got to wait another year now to see these beauties again.

Redhead56
Does that mean my double hollyhocks might bloom NEXT summer?

I only have single hollyhocks so the bees can enjoy them.

I got rust on my lilies I tried a few ideas but the plants just got over it naturally eventually. My hollyhocks are the same pink doubles influenced by Monty Don on Gardeners World. I ordered them and they were gorgeous planted out but the rain was so heavy for weeks the heads dropped off them. Got to wait another year now to see these beauties again.

Strangely, my hollyhocks have suffered very little from rust this year. They usually get hit quite badly. We’ve had so much rain here in Norfolk this year that I’m wondering if that’s stopped the spores from spreading. I’ve got so many seedlings coming up too.

One of mine is dark maroon, too.
Most of them have yet to flower - if they ever do - I can see that rust is damaging many of the buds.

I bought a hollyhock identical to that one (although it was supposed to be a dark maroon and I was disappointed with the colour!). I spoke to the people at the garden centre where I bought it about rust and they said there’s nothing effective that you can do to prevent it. It’s not only in the soil but the spores are in the air too. B******d, then, basically. I have five in different shades and they all have rust.

Oh you have my sympathies. I tried to grow them two years running many years ago but both years they succumbed to rust and haven't grown them since. Without rust they are so stately and beautiful.

Oh wow! These are the double hollyhocks I ordered a year ago as plugs. I planted about 15 and not one in sight. Still got the traditional ones so maybe they sent me the wrong ones.

Mine have had rust disease in the past and I don’t think there is much you can do sadly.

Round here, hollyhocks grow at the bottom of walls, through shingle and in cobbled paths. My late Mum had a garden full of them and they were glorious.