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charleney_gw

when to expect my hollyhocks

charleney
9 years ago

4 yr old beautiful tubers. They grew 8 to 10' tall. So impressive. Because of broken leg (last year) I cut them back. I cannot remember when they are supposed to come up. Tubers are well rooted, because I cannot pull them up to see what is going on. I do fungicide them for rust. Am I just thinking too early for them?

Comments (8)

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    9 years ago

    Hollyhocks? Tubers? Have you got the right name for your plant? Hollyhocks don't have tubers.

    If your plants are hollyhocks, and the height and mention of rust implies they are, they are generally considered to be biennial or short lived perennial so maybe they've just had their allotted span. My hollyhock basal foliage is evergreen so in PNW I should think you should be able to see the basal leaves at the very least if they were still alive.

  • babera
    9 years ago

    I have 3 hollyhocks showing signs of survival but my favorite, old fashion double pink has nothing. . . but after reading this I remembered some are bi-annuals, so I'll leave it alone, this is the 2nd year so that makes sense.

  • david883
    9 years ago

    I second flora on that I don't know hollyhocks to have tubers... they have long taproots. This is my second year with zebra hollyhocks and last year, after a very mild winter here they didn't come back from the roots but spread their seeds. Those didn't start springing up here until late may probably. But I'm in Michigan so our climates are probably very different lol

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    9 years ago

    There are two different plants that are commonly referred to as hollyhocks, Malva sylvestris that David883 referred to and Alcea. They are in the same family, and both are susceptible to rust. Malva spreads rather more vigorously IME than Alcea. I don't know which you had, but in my zone 5a garden the Alcea are good-sized and the Malva would be sprouting if I had any, so I think yours may have died. However, both types are prone to seeding, so unless you deadhead religiously, keep an eye out for seedlings.

  • ladyrose65
    9 years ago

    Charlene, you've been given good advice. The rust is a problem with HH's esp. in humid summer's. I've tried chemicals and 'yellow' cornmeal to no avail. I did try 'biochar' or 'soildetox', the same thing in different packaging and i got better results; however, the above mentioned in expensive. If you're up for it, give it a try? A little goes a long way.
    Sincerely,
    Avis

  • david883
    9 years ago

    nhbabs - I had no idea! Very interesting. I had a feeling zebra hollyhocks were somewhat different than "regular" hollyhocks because I've seen different cultivator names (zebra hollyhock zibrinia or something, etc) but I never put much thought into it. Thanks for the info!

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    9 years ago

    After the late season freeze (Feb) and record breaking March rainfall the PNW experienced. I am not surprised that many plants have taken a big hit. In my role as a garden consultant, I have seen all manner of even very hardy plants bite the dust this season. The combination of a pretty mild winter and the early end of dormancy for a lot of plants followed by a 1-2 weird weather punch was just more than they could handle. Couple that with hollyhocks' typical short lifespan and I'd think it was time to replant with fresh plants :-))

  • charleney
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Yes, I was surprised to see that they had a thin tuber..Shaped kind of like a dahlia. I believe, but would not swear, that I bought the double mixture from Costco. I am going to be patient, and maybe dig up around in there and see if there is any sign of life. They got to be 8' or so tall, and very impressive. I used Bayer Advanced disease care when they got RUST. They were gorgeous. Will keep you updated.