Hollyhocks just get rust........it is pretty much a hollyhock fact of life and there's not a lot you can do for it. You could try some fungicides early in the season before you see any signs of the problem (fungicides tend to be only preventatives, not curatives and must be applied before you notice symptoms) but I have not found any that really address rust - on any kind of plant - well. Hollyhock rust is restricted only to members of that family (Malvaceae) so no worries about it spreading ramapntly throughout the garden. And there are 'supposedly' rust-resistant forms: Alcea ficifolia and A. rugosa or Russian hollyhocks tend to be better with this issue than the common, garden variety.

Rust generally does not kill plants but just disfigures them to various degrees. Removing the affected foliage and destroying is about the best you can do, although mulching around the base of the plants will help prevent fungal spores from splashing up and reinfecting.

Here's some info from hollyhock rust from Cornell University.

Hollyhocks get rust, Japanese beetles love them and they seed around. And next year, I'm planting them for the first time in years, because even with everything else, I love the flowers.

Oh ok that makes me feel better. I thought it was going to kill them. I will definitely try the preventatives next spring.

a2zmom- thank you for the link. I love the flowers too that's why I'll deal with it.(I've been waiting for a year to see the blooms and they are budding now.)