A Pansy to Greet Me

As the weather cools down, the pansies perk up.

And that’s when I always think about how I should have planted more of them when I had the chance to buy them a few months ago.

But I never plant as many pansies and violas in the fall as I do in the spring.

The main reason is that when they are for sale early in the fall, it’s usually still fairly warm.

And pansies and violas don’t like “fairly warm.”

They much prefer “fairly cool.”

But by the time we get to “fairly cool” most gardeners have moved on to Christmas decorations, and no one has pansies for sale.

So, getting pansies around here to thrive in the fall is about getting them through that warm spell without them rotting off from too much watering or wilting in the heat when not watered enough.

But if you can walk that fine line and bring your pansies through those warm spells of fall, your reward is lovely flowers that add color to a landscape fading out in shades of browns and tans late in the season.

But my-oh-my, some pansies look funny mixed in with Christmas decorations. But that’s okay with me. Having a pansy or two to greet me along my front walk even though they look out of place next to Christmas lights is fine with me!