I planted these beauties early last spring when it was still too early for anything to survive in the ground.
But pansies are such sturdy little things, they can survive the ups and mostly downs of a late winter/early spring in Michigan. They flourished all summer and when the first few frosts came, they still thrived.
In October, I cleaned up the flowerpots, and composted them along with the tired impatiens and begonias, and started the long, slow wait for spring. I save the dirt from a few planters each year, to mix into next year’s dense potting soil to provide some aeration, so the planters sat, ignored all winter.
Today, this little volunteer caught my eye. With zero attention or care from anyone, she pushed up through last year’s weary soil, in search of warmth and light. I’ve never tried to winter pansies before because, well, Michigan.
This weekend I’ll plant some company alongside this little sprout and come fall, I’ll leave them be. When the riot of colors fade and the blossoms wilt, I’ll let them abide rather than pulling them up just because they’re no longer thriving in the same way. The once vibrant blooms may lay dormant, but their potential for outrageous beauty builds a little bit every day, even when the days are cold and dark.
Their beauty may be invisible, buried beneath the surface of old, spent potting soil and last year’s pine needles, but it’s no less real.
“What is essential is invisible to the eye.”
~ Antoine de Saint Exupéry
Patricia Alderman 