Hollyhock dying

[Malagabob333]

Ive never had any luck growing Hollyhock.Every year even new bought plants.They start off well but then get small holes appearing on the leaves which eventualy turn brown and crisp and die.But the plants grow again the following year healthy but the condition starts again?

[foxyferret]

This is typical of hollyhocks as they suffer badly from rust disease. You need to spray with a fungicide early in the season. Rust is unsightly but does not seem to stop the plant from flowering and returning year after year. I believe you can now buy some rust resistant varieties. I just cut off any leaves with rust, and as they mostly appear near the bottom of the stem, you can plant something in front of it so you don't see any grotty leaves