Hi Nutcutlet, from my tiny experience, I would say it has something to do with, possibly, colour than place. In my garden, only the pink ones returned.
Rust is not pleasant but I choose to gaze at the flowers not the leaves!
In the GW programme that Carol was talking about hollyhocks she also mentioned and showed new, rust-free hollyhocks from one of the growers at GW live.
I have grown hollyhocks for a few years and have had a similar experience to the OP. I have several hollyhocks that have come back very strongly for several years. I usually cut them back in the winter.
Until this year all mine have been affected by rust and I resort to chopping off the leaves as they get progressively worse. It doesn't have any effect on the flowering, which is beautiful.
This year one has sprung up next to a very large sycamore stump in my back garden from a stray or dormant seed. Surprisingly it is completely rust-free. I'm looking forward to seeing the flowers to see if it's related to any of my existing plants.
The only reason I can think of that it's rust-free is because it's in a quite dry spot, next to a beech fence, in the shade of a very large oak. As I understand it, rust develops on hollyhocks when they are in damp or wet conditions and is exacerbated by soil or mud splash to the lower leaves in heavy rain. Some people suggest covering the leaves with fleece or similar to try and prevent this. I suppose a bark or gravel mulch may do the same job.
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Hi Nutcutlet, from my tiny experience, I would say it has something to do with, possibly, colour than place. In my garden, only the pink ones returned.
Rust is not pleasant but I choose to gaze at the flowers not the leaves!
That must be quite disheartening, Fidgetbones.
Nut, that made me laugh out loud.
"They don't resist hard enough
"
In the sticks near Peterborough
Haha! I know the feeling, share the same problem here & all the surrounding gardens have them growing like rust-free weeds.
I LOVED your "beautiful flowerins", Artemis! A bit surprised Shakaspeare never thought of it
"Flowerins", how ...poetic!
As for photographic skills, the sun is always in the wrong place for me too!
In the GW programme that Carol was talking about hollyhocks she also mentioned and showed new, rust-free hollyhocks from one of the growers at GW live.
I have grown hollyhocks for a few years and have had a similar experience to the OP. I have several hollyhocks that have come back very strongly for several years. I usually cut them back in the winter.
Until this year all mine have been affected by rust and I resort to chopping off the leaves as they get progressively worse. It doesn't have any effect on the flowering, which is beautiful.
This year one has sprung up next to a very large sycamore stump in my back garden from a stray or dormant seed. Surprisingly it is completely rust-free. I'm looking forward to seeing the flowers to see if it's related to any of my existing plants.
The only reason I can think of that it's rust-free is because it's in a quite dry spot, next to a beech fence, in the shade of a very large oak. As I understand it, rust develops on hollyhocks when they are in damp or wet conditions and is exacerbated by soil or mud splash to the lower leaves in heavy rain. Some people suggest covering the leaves with fleece or similar to try and prevent this. I suppose a bark or gravel mulch may do the same job.