oh no, ignore this, I am being a techno-imbecile (I thought, for a paranoid moment I had been kicked off for surly posting)

Love that phrase "surly posting". I for one would hate to lose your contributions to the forum, although we may not be joined at the hip in regard to some issues. Makes it all the more interesting, and you have the civility not to make anything a personal attack. Well, one time you did tell me to get a grip when I was whining about something, but I decided you were right. Carry on.

Ingrid

We'll just call you surly Sue. :))

Sherry

campanula, I am glad to hear that you have not been shovel pruned. You were one of the straightforward, dependably honest voices that I was referring to when I said not even the most outspoken writer here rises to a level that approaches lovable curmudgeon.

Us obsessive rose lovers all need folks who will tell us to get over ourselves in a nice, firm way from time-to-time.

This is where I come to escape the slings and arrows of the "real" world. And hopefully to learn something too, but I would come for the voices, I do believe, even if there were no knowledge being shared.

ah, you sweeties! still recovering from yet another 'lost cat' episode -this happens at least twice a week - my sweetheart, Reuben, both of us old enough to know better, walk the streets shouting Otto (you swine) until we are knackered and hoarse at which point the cat trundles home from napping under a bush, no doubt laughing to itself when we walk past shushing and purring (like fools) - we didn't fuss over the children like this. still,pats are always lovely, even (especially) if undeserved.

Oh, does that ever hit home. When we first moved here in the summer, and the air conditioning we had ordered had not yet been installed, our cat simply vanished. My poor husband (I was blissfully oblivious to all this at work) ran up and down the hillsides where it was at least 120 degrees for FOUR HOURS, with intermittent searching forays back in the house, frantic beyond words, and dreading my coming home. When he finally staggered back inside the last time, a big bushy tail was sticking out from under the skirt of the couch, where it was nice and dark and COOL.

Ingrid

We also have escape artist Siamese cat, who likes to occasionally jump over the fence and go to scare neighboring cats. That most of the time happens only in summer though. I had a laugh last late autumn, I was doing something outside and did not notice that cat did her acrobatics over the fence. After 5 min I am home, closing the doors and see cat jump back from the other side back into the garden, all freaked that she might get locked outside. :D

hehe campanula, I peeked into the Rose forum and learned that I am supposed to be horribly offended by you hijacking my funki fungi thread with an unrelated malva talk (I think it was malva at least). Now I am all offended and demand cookies.

(just messing with ya)

Now while I am waiting for my cookies, here are two pics of malvas/lavateras we were talking about (did not want to make a new thread about it, and since PM is weird on GW, hope you see them here)

Malva oregana - at least it was sold as one to me, color is more or less the pink of ordinary malva, but darker, also bloom form is more round. Got to 50 cm for me, but I suspect that it normally is much higher, ground is crap where it is growing atm.

{{gwi:299461}}

My yellow-ish lavatera - can't find the blinking label, but it grows about 2 meters straight up, pretty much like alcea in habbit, also dies to the ground and comes back from the root - everything else is pretty much lavatera-ish in appearance and behavior. I can vaguely remember that when I checked it online after I bought it, she was classified as tad tender for our climate and originating from warmer climates, either Mediterranean, either Southern US.

{{gwi:299462}}

To be more precise, he first one is Sidalcea oregana "Partygirl", which they sell as Greek malva here. Gotta love the marketing speech at times, the same vendor sells an ordinary pink rambler as a "waterfall rose", with the pic of cascading pink bloom clusters, which indeed look like that.

oh nice, have only grown sidalcea 'Elsie Heugh' and decided I wasn't keen on the pinkiness. That was a while ago though and I know there are some newish sidalceas about. Your other one, I have not grown - I think it might be 'Park Allee' (there were a set of three of these came out about 6/7 years ago). I am a tad disappointed with my prostrate malva (sphaeralcea?) as the flowers are just lovely but very sparse. Useless with cameras but it is a delicious apricot peach which changes to lemon in the centre with the usual white stigma/stamen set. The leaves look like small hollyhocks, but the ficifolia (or something like which are loosely palmate). Will see how it does over the winter unprotected. I have to say, I am generally crazy about malvas apart from the malva sylvestris which is a monstrous, though pretty, weed for me.
Cheers for the pics. cat loafing in my lap - am bracing myself for months of anxiety until he is a big black neighbourhood bruiser.
Hey, have you tried any of the wall shrub abutilons, especially abutilon x suntense 'Jermyns'? OMG, they are gorgeous, dunno why everyone doesn't have them.

I think Park Allee probably is correct ID, it surely looks similar to what I have. Quite pleased with it really, since it blooms as much as ordinary lavateras and does not have all the drawbacks of monster canes.

The shrub abutilons look pretty, me wants. :D Mine new object of admiration this month is hydrangea villosa - and it can be planted in a bit more shady place! :D

ah yes, hydrangeas. have been blasted by mophead types for so long it has taken a while to get over my unreasonable dislike. Have been looking at paniculatas though I haven't jumped to actually buy one. Also, every year, around September/October, I get the usual craving for the oak-leaved hydrangea (Quercifolia or something) They do all get big so might be something for the allotment.
Have to say I really, really dislike the ever-present climbing ones, H.petiolaris or H.seemannii. H.p everywhere in UK looking unloved and sordid as it is the usual go to plant for north walls and will hang on without any means of support so ideal for lazy gardeners or anyone who cannot use a drill.
Idling about on PC as weather too dismal and our only work is fixing a collapsed fence at the moment - inclined to skive.

We got a fair bit of sunshine over here, although it rains occasionally. Things get a bit more back to usual though, as most people come back from vacations. At least, we do not get as nasty weather as Central or East Europe, my father already complains that he might as well grow bananas in their garden if the summers stay as this year.

With hydrangeas I think it kind of depends, a lot of them look a bit suburban, but after they get a bit misshapen from the tidy supermarket shape, most of them are rather ok. I don't mind climbing ones that much, although a whole wall of it certainly would look boring. Here they use them mostly for some shady corners or sheds, since generally Dutchies do not put that many climbers on their houses - except all kinds of hederas that is.