High point of the action

On the one hand, the plants are busting out all over the place. The sweet peas reached the top of the lamppost. The zinnias are a mile high. There are about 20 freaking accidental tomatoes getting bigger daily, and some sort of accidental vine, too. Pumpkin? Watermelon? Other sort of melon?

On the other hand, attacks on the plants come from all fronts. The deer. The recent lack of rain. Even a goldfinch. A goldfinch! I ask you how I am supposed to choose between my love of flowers and my love of pretty birds.

In short, the action in the garden has reached fever pitch. And we are getting close to making major and majorly exciting changes in the back yard - more on that soon.

An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly visited our zinnias on July 10. I read later that butterflies love zinnias.

Emma was enchanted by the butterfly.

Just recording what's going down with the anemones, lavender, and delphinium on July 11. I should not have cut back that lavender so severely after last season. The one I didn't cut back is the size of Cleveland now.

It's not easy to see, but only abominable deer could nip off my sweet peas at this height.

The Larkspur at their peak on July 11. Lovely.

This was July 11 - they're even taller today!

Surprising success stories: portulaca (middle) didn't even exist a few weeks ago; must have gotten a late start from seeds last fall. And the parsley has returned, triumphant!

Tomatoes on July 11. Heaven help me, I'm rooting for 'em.

The olive-colored blur in the upper middle of this shot is a female goldfinch, photographed through the dining room window. It was plucking off leaves of our zinnias.

This is what the zinnias looked like after the goldfinch attack!

General state of play on July 18. The zinnias have gotten kind of ridiculously tall.

Remember the gypsophila? Pity it, nestled at the base of humongous zinnias and accidental tomato plants. Next year I need to not plant stuff around this and see what happens.

Here's the hen-and-chick's swan song bloom. It's not even pretty, really.

The OTHER sweet peas are finally blooming. But this lamppost was largely a bust,

I am pretty sure a baby baptisia is growing in the uphill shadow of this rock.

This is the baby in question.

Our furthest-developed shishito pepper! Apparently they grow 2-4" long.

Yeah, these raspberry limeade zinnias stole my heart.

Sweet peas on July 18 - where do they go from here?

Accidental tomatoes on July 18, unstoppable....so far. NOBODY TELL THE VILE SQUIRRELS.