Boy do I know how ya'll feel. I purchased a Cajun Hibiscus at a garden show the name "Red beans and rice" a beautiful red with yellow markings. I just had to have. Well I watched over it all winter, and found just the spot in the garden for it this spring. Last week I noticed a single bud. Boy was I excited. I was outside eating lunch with my DH and grandson, when the bloom caught my eye. On further investigation I could see a beautiful flower, but no where near the color it was supposed to be. Oh well, maybe I'll try again this October when the garden show returns. I couldn't even find a match on the Cajun hibiscus web site. Oh well all a part of gardening. Keep those hands dirty. Brenda NOLA PS how do ya'll post pictures with your text? I tried to copy and paste but that didn't work.

Hi Michele, Mine are normal size, and were only watered a couple of times during the summer. Maybe you were dryer for a longer period of time though. I'm afraid I don't have any ideas but (instead) I'm guilty of jumping in your hollyhocks thread to ask another hollyhock question. I have hollyhocks planted in three separate areas. In one of those areas (happens to be the one in the middle) the hollyhocks have had a huge number of leaves either dry up and turn brown entirely, or dry around the edges. I suppose it 'could' have been dry hot weather related, except that I can believe you and I might have weather (and moisture) different enough to make a difference in how the hollyhocks turned out this summer... but my three patches are no more then 10-12 feet apart, so I don't think weather is what's causing the blackened leaves. I'm curious to hear what information others can offer on both problems. Joyce

A slightly paler yellow, alcea taurica can be had - I think Jellito and B&T World seeds sell it - another good perennial...or there is the pale pink alcea pallida. I have just ordered a white althea fastigiata after seeing a garden escape on our local common (missed the seeds because the Red Poll cattle stomped on the plant). I also sowed alcea rosea 'Halo' variety this year (waiting on flowers for next year), slightly against my better judgment but, yep, I wanted a huge swathe of these down the main woodland ride and a big wodge in front of the horsebox cab and so... The ficifolia (fig-leaved) hollyhocks are not totally rust resistant but if you remove the very lowest leaves when they look a bit gnarly and rusty, it keeps the spores under control - I think, like the rugose leaves of the russian types, the leaves are much tougher and resist the hyphae which transmit infection into the leaf cells. Titian, I think there are issues with heat - mostly, hollyhocks are happier in 3-8 zones...but there are mallows (sphaeralcea munroa, fendleri, coccinea and anisodonteas) , which are suited to a dryer, hotter area...and some of the lavateras (maritima, I think) which do better in heat...and many of the hibiscus, of course.

A magnesium (Mg) deficiency would present across the entire foliage mass because Mg is a nutrient that is considered mobile in the plant. As such, it can be borrowed from other organs to supply what is needed for new growth. A zinc (Zn) deficiency, because it is considered immobile in the plant, must be present in the nutrient stream at adequate levels at all times. If it isn't, deficiencies show only in new leaves that grew after the Zn became deficient. Generally speaking, when a deficiency of the mobile nutrients (N, P, K, Mg) occurs, it is seen in all foliage, even though roots are first affected. The rest of the nutrients which are absorbed via the root pathway are considered to be immobile or mostly immobile (can't be 'borrowed' to provide the building blocks for new growth). A simple analogy would be, leaves and fruit are having a tug of war to see which one gets the lion's share of food and nutrients. Since we know the pull of unripened fruit is always stronger than foliage (fruit is a more powerful energy sink than leaves), fruit will win every time. When fruit ripens, it's loses it's pulling power, which frees up food and nutrients that allow the leaves to recover to their normal color. I'm not sure what you meant by, "That happens when the trees aren't getting enough potassium and open". FWIW, most hobby growers end up shooting themselves in the foot when they think they have identified 'a nutritional deficiency' and move to treat it by adding an element or compound aimed specifically at correcting a deficiency of individual nutrients. The reasons for the shot in the foot are several. 1) Deficiencies are very often misidentified; or, 2) there might not actually be a physical deficiency of the nutrient the grower thinks (s)he identified as there could be another antagonistic nutrient, available in excess, in play, example: too much Ca limits Mg uptake - too much P limits uptake of K, Ca, Fe, Cu, Z, ....... ; or, 3) a nutrient could be acting as a synergist, example: an excess of K can cause an increase in the uptake of Mn and Fe, causing a toxicity of all three nutrients which would be read as a deficiency of who knows what; or 4) the deficiency could be culturally caused, example: in saturated soils, low oxygen levels cause Fe (iron) and Mn (manganese) to become electron acceptors. This leads to the precipitation of both, even though these elements might be present in soils at normally adequate levels, and the plant’s inability to assimilate them. Soggy soils also make uptake of Ca difficult or impossible. Al