I’m a broken record. I have written several times about my pet peeves: raccoons, vinyl hoses, spitting on the sidewalk, walking on the wrong side of the road, leaf blowers and bad pruning methods. Relax, I’m not mentioning any of those things this week.

Many times I’ve said there is not much to gardening except recognition. Naturally, love of the subject is a huge plus.

I always keep an eye out for baby plants which spring up on their own. This week I found a large patch of zinnias near last year’s planting. They have yet to bloom so I’m anxious to see what colors will emerge. It is rare to have that annual reseed, unlike cleome, bachelor buttons, cosmos and Shirley poppies.

I have found that zinnias look their best when planted in wide rows and never thinned. They hold each other up and make a nice statement.

They are so simple to grow from seed and are very economical. A large swath of color can cost under five dollars. Nursery purchases are six dollars for a six pack and they are often spindly and slow to recover from transplantation.

I had a few gladiolas come back from last year. I always thought that they, like calla lilies and dahlias, needed to be lifted in the fall and stored frost-free all winter. Color me surprised and happy. I wish I planted more of them last spring. They are somewhat funeralesque, but nice in big clumps in a tall annual bed or with echinacea and platycodan of equal height.

Marie shared a recipe for zucchini patties. She shredded the squash with onion and some sharp cheddar, added flour and a bit of cornmeal. They were fried to a golden brown and were a huge hit with her family.

I am about to yank all my zucchini and cucumber plants. They look ghastly and I have replanted in a different area. Those plants should be producing in a few weeks.

I seem to have an invasion of the hideous squash bugs. They are iron-gray and look like something out of Star Wars.

Both the cucumbers and squashes are showing the effects of uneven watering. One end is larger than the other on all of the vegetables. Of course this is totally of my own making. I have been less than consistent in my own watering tasks. I’m too busy doing it for customers. Sigh.

There is a house on the Edgartown Road just up from State Road on the left before Skiff avenue. It has a bed frame in the yard filled with flowers. It is always neat and tidy. There is a spectacular stand of old-fashioned Captain’s lilies. They are a tiger lily, I think, called Turk’s Turban. Supposedly the whaling captains brought them back from their world travels. They have tiny black seeds, aka bulbs, along the stem which will grow into another plant. I’ve collected them from a single one in my yard and had moderate success. At any rate it’s a nice view while sitting in traffic.

There is another lovely stand of them a couple of miles out of West Tisbury heading up South Road on the left. I am becoming increasingly fond of Rose of Sharon. It was not a favorite in the past. Now I appreciate that it is one of the few ornamental shrubs blooming in late July and August. They get quite large but since they bloom on new growth can be cut aggressively in the spring.

In the summer of 1993, I was a waitress at the Black Dog. I served Bill and Hillary Clinton on their first presidential visit to the Island. It was a lot of fun and they could not have been nicer. The next day I was on Good Morning America to talk about the experience. As you know by now, I had and shared my opinions.

A week or so later the motorcade pulled in across the street from my house. My BFF, Sharlee, and I went out on the street in Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz mode. We waved and carried on like a couple of rock groupies. Hillary rolled down the window and said, “Look it’s our waitress.”

I have been and still am a big fan. I cannot wait for the debates. I love how she gets under his super thin skin.