Our greenhouses are beginning to come into bloom. One of the earlier flowers are Pansies. They are a beautiful flower that does well in all kinds of conditions. Pansies do best when planted in the cool spring or fall months. They like the morning sun, but prefer to be in the shade in the hot afternoon. If you notice dead blooms on them be sure to deadhead them. When the old bloom is removed it encourages the plant to bloom once again.
One of the questions we are often asked is are they annuals or perennials. In Michigan a pansy would more likely be called an annual. However they can and do sometimes reseed themselves. So, where you plant pansies, there could easily be more there in the following year(s).
Another interesting thing about pansies are that you can eat them. Not just the flower, but the entire plant. Can be used in salads and so on, the leaves have a bit of a piney taste to them. The flowers used to, and still are, sugared and used on wedding cakes, etc. They can also be popped into a salad as is to add a bit of color to your food.
All of this adds up to one versatile plant to have in the garden. I highly recommend them for any garden.
