Hello AllI have been nurturing a plant in the garden that I thought was a Hollyhock but it didnt flower?

it looks like one of the mallows and could be a hollyhock. not all of mine have very deeply lobed leaves. Hollyhocks tend to flower in their second year so if it has grown from seed this year it should flower next yr.

Thanks Seaburngirl, the plant came up on its own from somewhere, I will leave it there in my raised bed & see what happens next year, I do hope its not a weed LOL x

Are the stems or leaves a little prickly? It looks like a courgette or cucumber to me. No idea whether they're sometimes flowerless though?

It looks like my self-seeded Hollyhocks to me. They start off with rounded leaves and sometimes have the lobed leaves and sometimes not. As Seaburn says they flower the second year so this one is just making up root and substance for next year.

Been reading up to fill the glaring gap in my knowledge.
Apparently all the mallows including Hollyhocks contain something called mucilage. It's slimy, so if you nip off a leaf and put it on a saucer & pour a wee bit of boiling water on it the slimy stuff will be released & help you identify it.
Didn't realise mallows were so interesting- edible, medicinal & they give us cotton

Oh! Thank you all for the info, what would I do without you all xx
I'm wondering if I should cut it back now that the leaves are starting to dry or just leave it alone? x

just leave it alone and it will die down naturally and in a mild winter you may have some leaves remain visible.

In the spring I sowed some Hollyhock seeds & now I can see they are the same shape as my mystery plant so I will leave it to grow on, it is dying down now so I will leave it & see what happens next year :o)).