I don't normally plant squash, simply because i don't have enough room. I do, however, eat a lot of squash. Which means that squash seeds find their way to the compost bin and since the compost bin is pretty much an ideal growing condition (though it is in the shade), those seeds sprout. So before i knew it this year, i had giant squash plants and tomato plants. So far we've harvested three delicata-like squashes. There's also an acorn squash and just-about-ripe sungold tomatoes. Which is actually quite a fortuitous thing since the sungold plant i purchased has not grown much at all.
The zinnias are in full bloom. These are, if not my favorite flower, very nearly so.
Last year i planted a few Lilium asiatica 'Casa Blanca' lilies. The rabbits promptly ate two of them (which ended up surprising me and returning this year, but they weren't very big). The third one escaped the worst damage, but was eaten just before blooming. This year it bloomed and it was everything i had hoped for. Really large, bright white, fragrant flowers.
The purple coneflowers continue to run away with my prairie garden. But I regularly see monarch and yellow swallowtail butterflies on them as well as tons of bees. Sometimes you have to pick your battles.
