Pansies!

We are up to our eyeballs in pansies! These beautiful flowers are a sure sign of better weather. Our greenhouses are full of them, most are beginning to bloom profusely. It is really a lift to one's spirits to view the colour and the life that is growing despite the snow that continues to hang around. Use up your last days of "winter" to continue planning your beds and gardens, reading magazines and books on plants that are available and perfect for your place. You could even decide where and how many hanging baskets and planters you might like and whether they are in shade or sun. Take note of how much sun shines on and around your home and plan your flower beds and pots accordingly. Without the leaves on the trees, it will be a little deceiving, so keep watching as the trees begin to leaf out. I look forward to watching the bulbs pop out of the ground and checking to see if the perennials I planted last year overwintered. Sometimes I forget what I planted! Last year we personally did some renovating, so I was digging up and dividing and trying to find homes for all the plants in other flower beds. It will be fun to see what comes up. Our official spring openhouse is the last weekend in April. Saturday the 26th 9-5 and Sunday the 27 from 1-5. It's really too early to plant then but you can come and see a sample of the plants pots that we have and get ideas. We carry empty planters and baskets, plain and decorative clay, fiberglass urns, etc. If you'd like to ready your soil, we have composted soil, peat moss as well as other soils, depending on what you need. The perennials that are ready will be on display providing the weather is not too cold. One year we placed them out, had a late cold spell and some leaves got frost damage so we are a little more cautious now about placing them outside too early. Because they are started in a greenhouse, they need to be "hardened off".... gradually adjusting to cooler temperatures. So until next time....happy dreaming!