The Pansy Quest

Well... disappointingly, I have not had luck finding frilled or ruffled pansies... and as it is now April - pansies of any sort are becoming very hard to find. I will just have to content myself with the masses of all the other varieties that I have. They are all so pretty and such a delight - they bring an instant "I feel good!" feeling when I look at them.


This year I've put them mostly in pots that I've placed just outside the bedroom slider, on both sides... I admit it's a little hazardous to use that door now but since they are the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing at night (with the outdoor light on...) I think it's worth the risk.


I like to underplant larger plants that are either in pots or in the ground - and I like to plant spring blooming bulbs in layers and then crown them with... pansies, of course. There is a pansy to complement almost anything. Except possibly cactus...




Here you can see the danger involved in using the sliding door in the bedroom... most of the pots are well clear of it, but there is still the vague possibility that my husband - or even worse, that I - might trip over a pot of pansies, stumble and fly into the pool which is about 4 feet from the brick step. Still - the timeless charm of the pansy is well worth an unplanned dip.

It's almost Spring...

… and WELCOME to my garden - well, actually - welcome to all of my gardens, past and present, both in California and in Ireland… as well as to the houses that came with them.
(The picture at left is just in front of the front door of the house we own now.)

I think I'm going to include pictures of gardens that belong to others but which have charmed, delighted and inspired me.

Pansies… tulips… daffodils… freesias… muscari… pansies… pansies… oh, by the way - did I mention pansies? And more pansies.

To me, pansies are what brighten the end of Winter and usher in the start of Spring... and even here, in the ultra hot western edge of the San Fernando Valley, the pansies in my garden still bloom (in the shade and with plenty of water) well into Summer. And I just can't have enough of them - there's no such thing as "too many" when it comes to pansies. I think I'm addicted. So imagine what a THRILL it was for me a few days ago when I very unexpectedly found a little tiny plantling (which is bigger than a seedling) in an ordinary 6-pak of Imperial Lavender Shades that turned out to be a pansy with frilled (or ruffled?) petals!


Here it is:













I'm on a new quest! I simply must have more than just the one - and then, of course, I'll be compelled and practically obligated to find some more… and then more… and then just a few more.

So this week, should anyone inquire, you can find me at any and every garden centre, nursery and home improvement store with a plant section within a 25-mile radius… hmmm - better make that a 50-mile radius… of my house, in search of this most charming variety of pansy. And - who knows what else?!