Going, going, gone . . .

Well, at the height of its glory, it's difficult to say what I like least about this hollyhock 'Nigra' (Alcea rosea). Could it be its grotesquely large size? The fuzzy, sticky buds that it drops? The blistered rust that the discolored foliage develops? The way that the lower leaves drop off? And, yes, even the dark blooms which promised to look so exotic just read visually as strange blobs.

Upon returning from Honduras, one of my first tasks was the removal of this eyesore. It's outta here!