hi - just got in from cleaning off some of the gardens and peeking to see whats going on under those leaves. my hollyhock leaves are open and have rust allready. i had a problem last year and know this is a chronic problem. anyone have a solution to rust or at least something that will hold it at bay? thanks ~joann in n.w. new jersey

Try weekly sprays of 3% food grade Hydrogen peroxide followed by or used alone- brewed, aerated compost tea.

If you had it last year, & have it again on the same plants (the biennials & perennial varieties) or nearby plants, you should probably renove & replace your mulch, down to the bare soil. Pick off all affected leaves. Try the mixture suggested in post above. Hollyhocks are so prone to this. It usually doesn't affect the blooms. If it isn't too bad, & the leaves are hidden behind other plants, this may be something you can live with.

Try Soap shield from Garden's Alive. It doesn't wipe it out, but seems to work pretty well. I'm going to try the 3% peroxide this year to see if it helps. I've been told to only plant rust-resistant varieties, but have so many established hollyhocks I could never get rid of all of them and start from scratch. I've tried some of Jerry Baker's home brew-type sprays, but didn't have very good luck with them. Good luck -- hope one of these solutions work for you!