hollyhocks

[barber]

anyone have an idea of the tallest one grown?

[Morticiah]

Not sure about tallest, but ours grow in a tiny little bit of soil underneth the fence between my house and next door.

They regularly hit the 5' mark and would probably keep going but my next door neighbour thinks they are weeds, so she chops them down!

I'm sure I've seen some down the Road that are over 6 foot - I'll check when I go out shopping later :-)

[barber]

barber..... here again ours is pale lemon and over 12 foot tall anyone any taller

[mazie]

I have one that grows up through my apple tree and reached about 18' last year. It kinks out as well to get round of the branches

[Morticiah]

That's cool - our's are pale yellow in the Front Garden, but pink in the back!

I found this on the 'net

http://www.wuvie.net/hocktrivia.htm

I'll try to cultivate mine to beat 24'!

[Thunderbird+]

According to my book, The Guinness book of plant facts and feats, "the tallest recorded hollyhock (Althaca rosa) is one of 17ft 10 in (5.43m) grown by Ernest T. Eksten of Washington, U.S.A as measured on 2nd October 1973. in 1974 the Wright family of worthing in Sussex succeeded in growing a hollyhock 17ft 2 in (5.2m)tall"

I dont know if these US and UK records have been broken but I susspect they have, as my book is dated 1976.
I would be interested to know if the US record still stands ?