Too often I get caught up in trying to perfect all of my garden photos. Most of these pics are of the close-up variety and I’m very liberal with the cropping tool. While they may be pretty and all, they’re often not a fair representation of what’s really going on.

So today I opted for a different lens. I stood further back. I limited my cropping.

Hopefully this is a more realistic version of how all of our gardens look this time of year; at least in the Northeast U.S.

New growth is still exciting to capture in all its infancy, but even better when taken in conjunction with surrounding plants and even the occasional weed.

Daffodils in bloom, while a sight for sore eyes, are still dwarfed by bare earth and yet-to- show-signs-of-life grasses and shrubs.

Did I mention weeds are a plenty already?

Some times our flowers don’t cooperate and face away from the direction we want them to.

I like to pretend that I don’t have a driveway. I like the illusion that it is all gardens, all the time out here in the country.

I lied.

A suckering shrub was cute at first. Now I’m terrified.

Oh, pretty bloom you got there, John.

Well, maybe it does look a bit lonesome.

Fine, one close-up.

But I had to demonstrate that every one of my perennials has to battle through ornamental grass clippings each spring. They are everywhere. Next year I should wait for a non-windy day before cutting them all down.

My neighbors would be happier too.

One angle shows my attempt to fill in between the Catmint with Hyacinths that bloom in early spring and are then enveloped by the Catmine foliage by late spring.

Another angle shows me pretending to have purposely put together this little vignette.

If I’m being honest, this happens more often than I would lead you to believe.

Yes, I was laying on my back while trying to take a photo of the aforementioned Hyacinth.

It’s called dedication.