Happy Faces

Day 299: The people who annually plant non-native flowers in an illegal "memorial" site in the Park once again contributed to my garden at some point between Mother's Day and Easter when they bedded in two pots of pansies (left and right). I'd love to catch them in the act, and have been tempted to stake out the site, but I do not have law enforcement capabilities, although I betcha I could make their ears burn. In any event, I have a spot in the front flower bed in which pansies do quite well, but even so, I'm surprised to see them flourishing despite several periods of hot, dry weather. They were refreshed by a good rain last night, and if they want to re-seed, they're welcome to try. On the other hand, the violas (aka Johnny-jump-ups) in the middle image are a pest, and as such, are remarkably persistent. Still, they're colour, and at this point in summer, I'll take all the happy faces I can get.

Happy Face

Day 289: I'm not big on bedding plants, but this one came to me for free by virtue of having been planted somewhere it did not belong. Rather than throwing it in the trash, I allowed it to follow me home where I stuck it in my shady front flower bed where it has produced a steady (if small) succession of flowers. I love the fine yellow edge on the maroon blossoms! If it goes to seed and reproduces true to colour, so much the better. Flower morphology is frequently used to distinguish "pansies" from "violets" and "violas" (common names which are sometimes applied interchangeably) although all three belong to the genus Viola. "Pansy" generally refers to the large-flowered types which have two upright petals, two side petals which incline upwards, and one downward-pointing petal: the "happy faces" of the gardening trade.