Hollyhocks--not quite

Several years ago, my gardening friend, Elaine, gave me a baby hollyhock seeded from plants she had purchased at a visit to Mt. Vernon.  It was much smaller than traditional hollyhocks and was willingly reseeded in my garden.

Because I enjoy them so much I collected the seeds last summer and deliberately started them so that I could create a larger collection for the garden.  It worked.  They readily germinated and transplanted easily into a sunny spot in my garden.

Last week they began blooming in profusion, although I noticed they had acquired some rust spots--the bane of hollyhocks in any garden. 

When writing for my blog, I always double check my facts.  It was a good thing I did on this one.  My miniature hollyhocks are really zebra mallow (malva sylvestris).  They are supposed to be impervious the the pests and diseases that can plague true hollyhocks but you can see in the photos that even researchers can get their facts wrong on occasion.  Our wet, humid summer is probably a contributing factor for the rust.

No matter the label, hollyhocks or zebra mallow, are a colorful addition to my backyard.