Very pretty! Who knows what Mother Earth's thinking? Anyway, what a pleasant surprise!

Serendipity is a good thing. I had that happen with some chrysanthemums my children gave me one year for Mother's Day and the rugosa rose Dart's Dash. Perfect color echo. I still grow them both.

I have also had that happen with the lovely sedum 'Vera Jameson' with its pink edged green leaves and some deeply intertwined wood sorrel, same pink color edging its leaves. Sigh. I fight the good fight, but I will never be free of wood sorrel.

Rosefolly

Serendipity is a wonderful thing. Congratulations! You must not have white fly and extreme rust issues with your hollyhocks. Kim

Jackie, beautiful combo! I've tried to encourage hollyhocks to reseed, but they've gone the way of California poppies. Where did you get your original plants/seeds? Carol

Yes, they are fig-leafed hollyhocks. I got the original ones from Annie's Annuals in Richmond, CA (they have a good web site and do ship plants). I never had to purchase any more, because, unlike traditional hollyhocks, they come back from seed every year in my garden. They only get some rust on the very lowest old old leaves way at the bottom of the plants.

Here is another picture of this combo where you can see the leaves better.

Jackie

That's just such a cheerful combo !! And great info about the hollyhocks , did not know there were different types.

Thank you, Jackie! Carol

Fig-leaved hollyhocks are resistant to rust, but not immune.

Fortunately the kind of rust hollyhocks get is not the same kind roses get, so you can safely grow them together even in the rose rust belt.

Folly

That is just beautiful, Jackie! I love hollyhocks--need to check out Annie's Annuals.

Rosette Delizy was one of the best flowering teas I've ever had--always had blooms, even in a too-shady spot.

Hollyhocks and roses--brings back the distant memory of summer now that it's 10 degrees and January's snow is on the ground. Reminds me, too, that a pile of dried up hollyhocks lies in the garden cart in the garage. They need to be stripped of their seeds, so I can fling them where I please as soon as the snow melts. I throw out seed several times from fall to spring, and have hollyhocks coming up in stands all growing season. Here's a pic from last year. Diane

Hollyhocks have very aggressive root systems, so I would not recommend planting them very close to roses. Beautiful combo, though.

I haven't had a problem, and my hollyhocks are planted all over the place, most near roses. Many get blown over during the course of the season, and I often dig them out because more new plants are coming up anyway. I've never noticed big root systems. Diane

I agree with you, Diane - at least in my garden, my hollyhocks have very shallow root systems - when I pull out the finished plants in the Fall, they come right up with one tug, with roots attached. I have been planting them around roses for 25 years without any problems.

It might be a philosophical problem - I like to plant LOTS of things in each bed, so that they (including the roses) overlap and all riot together. Some folks like to keep their roses separate from any other plant, which is fine, too - just a difference in preferences.

Jackie

I wonder if there is confusion between 'Alcea' (Hollyhocks) and 'Althea' with regards to root systems. For me, most 'Alcea' rarely lived beyond two years (save for those descending from 'Alcea rugosa') -- their persistence is due to self-seeding. Root systems from such plants remain rather shallow.

'Althea', on the other hand, is often used to describe 'Hibiscus syriacus', the shrub. Then there's the actual genus 'Althea', containing true perennials which can be "shrubby". Both of these will have extensive root systems, being as the plants typically persist for many years.

:-)

~Christopher