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June 23, 2011 · 3 Comments

I’m Glad I Planted Pansies

Plants

pansies in bloomIn Minnesota, pansies are a desperate gardener’s gamble. By the time spring rolls around, most of us are so hungry for color we buy as many pansies as our gardens and wallets allow. We plant them out when the weather seems too cold and — at least in my experience — the plants sit there a good long time. Then they bloom a bit, then the weather gets hot and they wilt. It’s not always the best dollar per flower investment.

Except.

Except, if we have a year like this one, where despite one or two hot days, the weather has stayed in the 60s or 70s (or even lower) for what seems like an interminable amount of time. It also rains a lot. As the TV weatherman noted the other day, “It’s been a crappy spring.”

This is the year where a gamble on pansies paid off. I have lots of annuals in my front bed — spunky zinnias, blue salvia, a few snapdragons — but guess which annual is blooming best.  Pansies.

Here’s another thing I’ve discovered about pansies over time, especially if you plant them in pots. They look terrible in July, but will come back in the fall. I often move my pansy containers to a discrete spot in the backyard for some of the summer. They get water and not too much sun. In August, a bit of fertilizer seems to bring them to life as the temperatures lower. Then, the pansy pots move back out front for a second bow.

Note: If you are concerned about the dollar per flower investment, pansies are also very easy to start from seed. Most of the ones I have out front were started from two seed packages.

Related posts:

  1. A Favorite Plant: Martagon Lilies I was introduced to martagon lilies only in the past...
  2. Will Newly Planted Plants Survive a Cold Spell? With a couple of inches of snow falling and temperatures...
« A Favorite Plant: Martagon Lilies
A Well-Behaved Cranesbill »

Comments

  1. Billie Jo says

    June 23, 2011 at 9:16 am

    Sad, but true. My pansies are really filling out here up north!

  2. Donna says

    June 25, 2011 at 2:15 pm

    I moved a yellow pansy and a yellow viola into a shrub border from their pots a few weeks ago, and they look so nice below a red ‘ Champlain’ shrub rose. You’re right, this is the year for them!

  3. Janet Glaser says

    July 16, 2011 at 6:43 pm

    Pansies are my favorite. My birthday is at the end of May and my mom always planted pansies as part of my birthday celebration. However, my husband hates them exactly using the excuses you stated above..But I love their happy faces. I don’t know why they bred the faces out of some varieties of pansies.

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New podcast episode and giveaway! Dill is one of t New podcast episode and giveaway! Dill is one of those plants that brings in all sorts of beneficial insects, creating a productive, healthy vegetable 🍅 garden. On this week’s Grow it, Minnesota podcast, I talked companion planting with local food advocate and gardener Michelle Bruhn from @forksinthedirt. 

We’re both fans of a new book by @jessicawalliser called Plant Partners that looks at the science behind companion planting. A lot of it boils down to creating healthy soil and a welcoming environment for bugs, bees and pollinators. My review of the book is over on the My Northern Garden blog (link in bio) and I’m giving away a copy of the book. To be eligible for the giveaway, just comment below — do you use companion planting methods? What combinations work in your garden? What flowers do you plant near your veg garden? The winner will be chosen March 10 (US and Canada only)
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