Pansy Burn ~ Will Cold Harm Pansies?

Easter weekend was lovely.  The five dollar pansy vendor saw a brisk business at the county market.  Per usual, the resolution to go easy was overruled by the impulse to spread color.
In May and June I'll be moving those bright beauties to a cooler place, but for now--they rule.

Then the Midwest winter returned with a vengeance.  Ten days of cold and snow surely meant an untimely demise for the jonnie jump ups?  Not so.



Pretty and tough pansies are surprisingly hardy in the spring.  All survived the snowstorm.  Some lost their blooms, many leaf edges are crisp--but a few weeks of warmth will restore their brightness.

Pinch chilled pansies back by removing the damaged blooms with fingertips while anchoring the plant in the soil.  Pluck out leaves that are more than fifty percent damaged. 

Go Tigers!

The remaining plant will come back fuller than its earlier hothouse version

Opening Day was brisk, but extra layers abated the chill.

This past weekend saw temps in the eighties and nineties but no precipitation.  Lack of moisture causes far more damage to pansies than icy winds. 

Water well.

Now about those deer hungry for bright pansy salad?

Apparently Bambi likes his greens chilled.

Try these:

Urbane Wildlife

Lafayette Greens ~ Detroit Grows Up!