Gardening in Early Spring, Pansies and Tuberous Begonias

My tray of patient pansies...waiting for me to plant them

 

small cup daffodils transplanted from my Mom's garden,
the daffodil of my childhood ...over fifty years ago

Such beautiful days yesterday and today! The 80-90s temperatures have made the plants pop. They have been laying low in all the cold weather this spring, and now they are "singing"!  My little cup daffodils have had curled up buds dangling for two weeks, but the sun has not caressed them into opening. Today it happened they popped open, looking like smiling little head bobbing in the wind. Considering they were transplants last summer, I call that a win.

sunny faced late blooming daffodils

The fab weather has just cranked up the gardening drive. Two weeks ago when we had a mere two days of 60 degree temps I bought a tray of Pansies. The poor Pansies have been sitting in a protected spot awaiting further directions. This morning I had the pleasure of potting them up into hanging pots for outside my kitchen. It is a kick to look out the kitchen door or window and see the bright yellow and purple blossoms of the Pansy plants staring me back in the face. So joyful!

bright faces of the potted up purple and yellow pansies

I bought the flat of Pansies to fill up the hanging pots left over from last summer. It was a bad call to chose small coconut lined pots, they were a bit too small for what I wanted to plant in them last summer.  Today they were perfect for planting four pansy plants in each to brighten up these early spring days. It will take a few days for them to perk up and fill out, but it was a lot less expensive and more fun than buying pre-planted pots.  The whole flat probably cost no more than the price of one hanging pot. Tuberous Begonias might do well being planted between the pansies.I think I will go ahead and try that! The Pansies will die out in time for the Begonias to take over and bloom profusely.  I haven't done this before, but it seems like a promising idea. I'm looking to simplify watering this year. This might be the ticket!

pansies potted in cocoa planters

Tuberous begonia corms tucked inbetween the pansy plants