Does the leaf look like THIS underneath?

No not really. They are just yellowing in spots and wilting. We just had a bunch of rain, but the roof prevents this area from being drenched...still I can't imagine it could be lack of water with as much rain as we've had. Or, ont the flip side too much, as this spot is right beside the house and the rest of the yard. So any extra water would be soaked up by the rest of the grass around it etc.

I would love to know if anyone has has success with hollyhocks down here. They are one of my favorite plants...

I'd like to have an answer to that question too, because it seems they are not commonly grown here. Before they closed I saw them growing around the gazebo at Antique Rose Emporium here in San Antonio.

HERE is a thread about growing hollyhocks in Texas which includes a couple of photos taken at ARE. You may want to do a further search for hollyhocks on the Texas Forum.