A nice evening in the garden...

You know those flowers called "Cockscomb" that look sort of like brain coral? (Click here for a picture - from the internet, not from our garden). Well, we tried to grow some from seed, though we couldn't really imagine those flowers resulting, just because they're so strange. But lo and behold, today you can see the tiny edges of one of them emerging! (Click the photo for a closeup - it's right in the center).

We've also got a thriving bunch of zinnias now, very cheerful.

We had some extra room since some other flowers we planted didn't grow. So since we had such great luck with the sunflowers last year (thanks, Oma!!!), we decided to try another kind. I started the seeds indoors so the birds wouldn't get them, and then transported these little guys outside in peat pots (you can see the outlines around each one; the pots should dissolve in the soil). So far so good!

The beans have grown into a massive wall. Unfortunately I can't seem to rotate this photo directly, so please tilt your head 90 degrees to the right:

Here's a baby eggplant emerging! (again, click for a closeup if you can't see it).

Close-up of the bean vines... Twirling, always twirling!

And the lavender, which diligently grows all summer without us calling much attention to it. It attracts a lot of bumblebees, which is good for everything else.

Here's an okra flower. It's mostly white, but you can see the nice dark purple section on the bottom. Supposedly they're edible, but they seem to be covered in ants, so we'll pass.

Finally, some baby beans! I was getting worried.

And an inedible, but very happy, harvest.