the garden is there to be enjoyed

The front garden is a mess right now. (The back garden is, too, but for different reasons: benign neglect, versus active warfare.) Really, it's mostly just dirt. I took advantage of that amazing run of summer-like weather we had, two or three weeks ago, to garden — which, in this case, meant ripping almost everything out: weeds, spirea, unidentified shrubs. And sedum. Lots of sedum.

But some things survived, on a smaller scale, and even thrived with the warm temperatures; with Pd home for his portion of parental leave and the baby napping, I got to play around with the DSLR and lenses. It's been a little while since I've really been able to photograph (instead of "snap pictures"), and I hadn't realised how much I had missed it.

Also, this utterly proves my point that you don't have to know much to take reasonable photographs; as long as you can focus and know a little (not much) about depth of field, you can totally fake the rest.

Giuseppe Verdi tulips; the earliest to bloom. Poor things; they were so enthusiastic when it was 20 Celsius out, and when overnight frosts returned, they just closed right up in agony. They're pretty much spent, now, and will need to be deadheaded this weekend — luckily, the mid-season tulips are coming right up behind; I noticed buds on them a few days ago.

Periwinkle (vinca). I don't care if they're aggressive; I love them dearly. How can you argue with something so pretty, that blooms so reliably and early?

Besides which, the front garden is essentially one big, deep raised bed (as we are on a hill), so the roots aren't going anywhere. I wouldn't let it into the back garden. But at the front — something needs to keep that lavender in check.

Siberian squill — an opportunistic interloper from a neighbour's garden. It's impossible to tell from whom; there are stands, large and small, everywhere in this neighbourhood. I like them as photographic subjects but not as actual plants in the garden; they're slowly getting dug under as I proceed to tear down the yard (quite literally). I'll post photographs of that in a few days.