Q: I love hollyhocks for their colorful, crinkled flowers, and I have a row of them planted along the edge of my patio which I grew from seed. I was disappointed last year, however, as unsightly orange and yellow pustules developed on the tops of the leaves, with darker spots on the undersides. The leaves then dried up and fell off. What caused this, and how can I prevent it from happening again this year?
A: These are telltale symptoms of hollyhock rust, a common disease caused by the fungus Puccinia malvacearum. It can spread to other members of the mallow family, too, including hibiscus.
