If they are Cheerfulness: they prefer a deep and even heavy soil that holds cool and damp over the summer. They also tend to 'dig deep' with their bulbs and the bulbs grow to a fair size. They are well-insulated against above ground temperatures by this depth. Agree with calistoga - no chilling required. They quite like the occasional topdressing of old compost with some added blood and bone, or bone-dust (If you don't have wandering creatures such as dogs) and the clumps can stay undivided for years, unlike some others. They usually start into root growth in late summer, though they won't show above ground for a while to come. The leaves are usually a dark green, rather than the blue-green of many of the other types, and they last for much longer (probably until your May-June) but are usually gone before the worst heat of summer. Can you give them a half day of sun - preferably morning? If your spring season tends be be short and you're into full summer fury before the leaves have gone you could give them a touch of shade by moving a container to cast shade or using a sun sail, or similar. It would be worth the experiment to see how well they actually can cope with summer temps while they're still in leaf before you provide protection. The other thing you could try is to feed them with tomato food while they're in full leaf as the extra potash might be what they need to set the coming season's flower buds deep in the bulb. And check your soil's pH level. They are tolerant of fairly acidic soil but may appreciate a touch of lime.

When you mention that your seed pods are fuzzy that got me wondering. I would normally describe holly hock seeds as disc shaped almost like they are layered. I provided a site below that has alcea, hollyhock seed pod, seeds, and seedling. You will find the hollyhock in the second column. When you sow them is up to you but no you do not have to sow them now. Storage is simple, a properly dried seed can be stored in many ways. To dry the seed I would lay them flat on an open surface, on a paper towel or a paper plate. Layering them singly. I would probably allow them to dry a few days to a week maybe even 2. Once they are dry then you can store them how you want. Some store their seeds in the fridge some just use an envelope and put in a drawer. As long as the seeds are not stored in constant temperature fluctuations and not in extreme heat I think you should be ok. If you are going to plant them soon it is not like you should store them in the fridge or freezer. Though if you do not plan to use them for about 5 years I may say toss them in the fridge or freezer (I usually have more room in my freezer) once they are completely dry. My rule of thumb when planting any seed, is to plant as deep as it is wide. Seeds like poppy or other tiny seeds I do not even bother to cover those. I just toss and press. I hope that helps!!

I think it is something else that no one has mentioned - the color of your pot. Almost all plants hate to have their roots cooked and a dark colored container will absorb more heat. Being in a container is not the same for the roots as a natural environment where the roots are below ground. I purchased a plant a couple weeks ago and until I got around to planting it, it sat in its black nursery pot out in full sun. Well, the second week, when the really high heat hit (90s), it started almost immediately with the yellow leaves. I got it in the ground and the yellow leaves stopped almost immediately. I bet recently true summer has started for you, too. I realize your zone and that you cannot plant the hibiscus in the ground. So you can do several things: move it to a light-colored container; move it to where other plants shade the container (put it in between some low shrubs or bushes where the trunk/leaves still gets full sun); or plunge (bury) the pot in the ground until winter. All three will help tremendously. Carol in Jacksonville

I have a bud that just broke on one of the hybrids, from the Archeri x White Angel, it is dark purple, very very tiny flowers, maybe less than 1inch … the others have buds but nothing else has broken open yet. I’m happy to see that white parents produced color, archeri is blood red so I’m very interested now to see the open flower some have crazy leaves too, one of the berigated ones made it, the leaves look really unhealthy