pansies and other gardening distractions in late April

Well it certainly wasn't gardening weather this past week-end, was it?  I am way behind on my April to-do list!

Thank goodness for pansies!  Generally pansies can go outside in Calgary in mid-April.  I took the kids to the garden center on Saturday and we came home with these.  It would have been nice to have a few days to harden them off a little before it got cold (and snowy!) again, but oh well.  Pansies are tough.  I brought them in last night but they are going back outside this morning - there is nowhere safe to keep them inside where my one-year-old won't attack them (she's a future gardener - she likes to dig!)

I also used the cold weather this week-end to get caught up on taking care of my seedlings.  I thinned, pinched back and repotted the last few things that needed it.  And my kids also helped me plant the last of my indoor seeds - sunflowers, nasturtiums, morning glories and sweet peas.  But that's it.  If things don't warm up soon I am going to start going crazy!

Comments

[keewee]

Pansies are on my favorites list. You have some pretty colors there.

[Greener]

I went to Golden Acre and Green Gate too. Where did you go? I want to go to Eagle Lake next time.

[Janice]

Hi Greener,
I got the pansies at Sunnyside. I must admit I don't get out to other garden centres as often as I'd like because I live very close to Sunnyside. Eagle Lake is very nice too.
Happy shopping!
Janice

[Lynne]

I took your advice a couple of weeks ago and got some pansies that I put in pots outside ... then a week or two later I put some in the ground (sheltered by the house overhang in the front) I didn't realize that they might have to come in should it snow ...oops!

..haha ..well they are tough ...got snowed on and froze a couple of times (courtesy of crazy Calgary weather) and they look fine ... well, the flowers looked a little sad so I pinched them off ... plants still look good though so I'm looking forward (hopefully) to some new flowers

oh and these were just pansies purchased at the Rona garden center (I work there part-time and get a discount)

[Janice]

Thanks Lynne, it is always rewarding (and a little weird!) to hear that people have taken advice from my blog! So nice to hear from you.
Lucky you - but if I worked at a garden center I'm sure I'd spend my whole paycheque there!
Janice