PANSIES -- COOL WEATHER ANNUALS

PANSIES, COOL WEATHER ANNUALS, are adorning many flower beds this time of year.  My love of pansies came after working in the flower beds at Temple Square some years ago.  I had never really appreciated their bright colors, and the 'face' that some varieties have on them.  But what I thought was especially impressive was the  vast selection there was, and how they complimented the temple square beds.  So, I started buying flats of them and planting them in the fall, to enjoy in the spring.   We have many, many to choose from--there are literally hundreds of varieties, and one to match, or compliment, any color scheme you may have in your gardens.    These carefree blooms like a balanced fertilizer in early spring.  I use a side dressing of BLOOD MEAL, applied right to the soil.  I scratch it right in around the plant.  If properly dead-headed, their blooms will last well into the summer, even blooming again in the fall, if you have them in a shady to semi-shady spot.  If they get too 'leggy' just prune to half their height.  If you let them go to seed, you can harvest your seed,  and then in late winter, start your own plants inside. This May collage, from last year's beds, shows how pansies can brighten up the landscape.  (For a larger view of the picture, just click on it).  An added bonus is that pansies are inexpensive, and whole flats are very reasonable.  The best time to buy and plant is in the fall--they don't mind the cold temperatures--it's not usual to see them blooming in the snow.  Pansies are also readily available.  I'm glad I got acquainted with these brightly colored blooms!