In late summer '06 I planted hollyhock seeds and by the end of that growing season I had some little leafy plants, which sent up flower spikes in '07, last year. That's the whole hollyhock history right there :) So if those plants dropped seeds last summer after they finished flowering... I guess it's technically possible that they sprouted and this year's batch are new plants, but I really think these are the same plants that flowered pink last year, if that's even possible, because by the end of last year I didn't see any hollyhock plants that didn't already have flower spikes (no little baby plants that would have flowered this year). I dunno, it's strange. These yellow ones are pretty, but I liked the brighter pink ones for that part of the garden.

I'm new to hibiscus (that's why I stopped in) but it sounds like your plant may be starving... Have you fertilized it - properly for the type of plant it is? Hibiscus are apparently a little fussy about what kind of fertilizer they want. I found some great care info at the website linked below. The nursery is for exotics, but if it works for an exotic, it should be great for a plain jane hardy hibiscus, IMO... Good Luck! Wren Here is a link that might be useful: Hidden Valley Hibiscus

I could do several posts of just my purples! Yes, I am in the North (New Hampshire) and I have acidic soil. I do think that plays a role. Even my roses that other people call red or maroon are deep purple here, especially my gallicas. Charles de Mills rose is dark purple here but I see photos of it looking crimson. Even in the heat my purples are purple, but cool temps certainly intensify the deep tones. Also, my pinks are truly pink and not salmon. Here's a sampling of the dozens of purples I grow. BTW, none of my pictures are ever photoshopped and actually these are more purple in person...my camera has a hard time picking up what I see. I love purples and have far too many to show here but here's a sample. Celeste Thieving Magpie Lyrical Ballad Dream Sequence Jackie Canner Ring the Bells of HeavenLiberty Banner Heavenly Doppler Effect Indian Giver Freedom's Triumph Stargate Portal

If you are certain that the sprout was below the graft line, then you have done the right thing. All such growth should be removed. But, as evdesert says - and your first post & photos didn't make clear - this could have just been a vigorous water shoot. Such shoots do look a bit different from normal growth and some people remove them to balance the shape of a potted plant. However, they can equally well be left in place as they rapidly increase the size of an otherwise slow-growing tree, and soon mature into a normal fruiting branch.