Vertebrate Softie

I went out today and scrabbled about in the side yard until I had filled two buckets with organic junk and my fingers were numb.  I don't know what I'll do with or about all of those rocks that were heaved to the top.  It's clear it will have to be something.  Perhaps there is a ... riddler? ... is that what the soil sieves are called? Anyway, perhaps there is a soil sieve in my future. I had some positive reinforcement after all the work, though:  I saw someone walking by admiring the flowers.  

And how could they not, when they're looking so fine?  And when the hyacinths are so gamely giving blooming a try?

In truth of fact, the zwanenburg bronzes are starting to fade.  They didn't much like me pulling the leaf pile away.  Apparently it was a load-bearing leaf pile.  

I had a bit of a quandary when I was doing the clearing.  There is a plant that is taking over the patch and I'm pretty sure that it's a weed.  Basically, if it grows like that, it has to be a weed.  The thing is that I have put a few things in the earth that I know to be "aggressive".  I thought a patch of thyme would be more welcome than an empty rockpile.  I was sure some mint might be welcome, if only to do battle with the thyme.  I genuinely want some lavender to take hold.

Unfortunately, I haven't been the most meticulous record-keeper and I can't for the life of me remember what was deliberate.  

At any rate, I yanked up a fair amount of the stuff that looked like this:

I left in the ones that looked like these:

I didn't do much to improve the front, but these lovely little pale purple guys (nameless because I am clueless) are now poking through.  What heroes they are!  They are battling against seriously bad odds.