How lovely!

Large or small, those gorgeous blooms still make an impact. The flower bed you've made is really beautiful!

Ingrid

Gee, those hollyhocks look smashing! What a sweet little bed.

Abe and the hollyhocks are beautiful. I also grow that rose. Here in the Pacific Northwest, he is about 5' tall by 5' wide. I love that rose. He has a little BS as I don't spray. Too many little critters around. Both the 4 legged variety and the 2 legged grandbabies.
2 years ago I planted golden celebration and its proving to be a winner also.

Beautiful pictures! Abe was my favorite in Pa. He was only about 4 ft tall but had this one branch that keep shooting up and looking rediculous. But I loved its blooms so ! Your holly hocks are fantastic. Are they from seed or plants you bought? I've only had one bloom for me. Interested in trying again! :)

Hi lilyfinch,

The Hollyhocks are all self seeded plants. I've had a love, hate relationship with Hollyhocks. They are very susceptible to Hollyhock rust and the leaves are often shredded by earwigs and other critters.

This year however, I am definitely in the love phase. The difference is I started spraying my roses with lime sulphur, the same stuff you mix with dormant spray oil. You can also use it on its own diluted in water. So since I am spraying the roses, I have been taking some of the lower leaves off the Hollyhocks and giving them a good spray as well. You have to get the bottoms of the leaves to kill the rust spores. So this year, we near the end of July and I have no rust on them and the sulphur drench also seems to have deterred the leaf chewers.

Double jackpot!!! So now, I have both glorious roses and gorgeous Hollyhocks.

Try the Hollyhocks again and if you are not averse to spraying once or twice a season, I think they will do wonderfully for you.

Cheers, Rick

Your Abraham Darby is lovely. I am surprised you can grow it there at all. Well done!