As the leaves begin falling, and our flowers start to fade away, many gardeners put their gardens to bed for the winter months. The idea of months without flowers seems a waste, especially when we can have an outstanding display of color from pansies all winter long. So instead of ending your gardening for the year, begin your winter gardening with a planting of pansies.

Pansies, come in a variety of sizes, colors and types. They come in blues, reds, yellows, white, orange, pink and purple. There is even a black variety. There are solid colors without faces, to bi-colors with contrasting faces, to blended colors, giving you a mix of colors in each bloom. Intense breeding has developed flowers that can get as large as four and a half inches across, on lovely green foliage. It is hard to believe that these large, brightly colored flowers are descendants of the quiet, diminutive woodland violets.

The flowers have a velvety texture and bloom over a long period of time. They also last quite well as a small nosegay or bouquet indoors. To keep the plants blooming, be sure to dead-head —remove spent flowers as they decline. Pansies thrive in cool weather, and will bloom for you from now until hot weather causes them to decline next summer. Plant them in a well-drained location with moderately rich soil. They will grow in full sun to partial shade. Those in full sun will fade away sooner in the summer, but by then you have plenty of other plants to replace them with.

When it comes to varieties of pansies the list continues to grow each year. Some of the most common classes of pansies include Majestic Giants, which are one of the largest classes of flowers, and the first pansy to be awarded an AAS — All American Selection. Almost all varieties in this series have the traditional dark blotch or face, and they come in blue, purple,white, yellow and red. The Crystal Bowl series of pansies are bright flowers which are clear colors (without faces or blotches). The flowers are smaller, but there are lots of them--these plants are very floriferous. Colors range from white to yellow, true blue, rose, orange, violet and a scarlet color. The Crown series of pansies are also clear colors with slightly larger flowers ranging in color from orange, red, white, yellow and blue.

Some unique types of pansies include the Imperial Antiques which give soft, blended colors. Each flower changes subtly from opening to maturity. Another interesting series is the Joker series. One interesting combination is Jolly Joker F2 Hybrid, it combines an intense orange lower petals with a deep purple (almost brown) upper petals. The Joker Light Blue has an outstanding flower with a light purple outer color with a white band leading to a dark purple blotch. The list could go on and on, with new intense shades and mixtures each year. Go visit your local nursery and see what is available that you like.

Pansies can be planted in a mix of colors, or for a really dazzling display, in a single color. Plant the individual plants four to six inches apart. Mass them together wherever possible. They make a great companion planting for spring flowering bulbs. Simply dig up the bed, plant the bulbs first, cover them with soil, then plant the pansies on top. The spring bulbs will come up right through the pansy plantings for even more color in the spring.

Pansies also make ideal container plantings. If you live in an apartment or condominium, don't think that you are excluded from planting pansies. Plant a container full for your deck, patio or front porch. Regular watering will need to be included in their care--even when it is cold. It is especially important prior to a heavy freeze. They don't need to be saturated, but they do need to be moist.

Fertilize pansies regularly all season long. Fertilize at planting and during any warm spell throughout the winter. They respond well to blood meal, but several gardeners have also attracted wild animals to their pansy plantings by using it. If you want to use blood meal, incorporate it into the soil lightly. Be careful not to be too heavy handed, since it is a high nitrogen fertilizer. Any commercial fertilizer will work well also.

There are many who want to have a beautiful garden with little effort. While the old adage: ' if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is', usually applies; in the case of bulbs, we get a break. You can simply dig a hole, plant a bulb and sit back and wait for the flowers to come. It is the story of the ugly duckling turning into a swan. In a manner of months, these small, non-descript brown things turn into glorious displays of flowers, with minimal effort, and in many cases, they will continue to flower, year after year.

By definition, a true bulb is a modified leaf bud, consisting of a basal plate, short thick stem and fleshy scales. It contains all plant parts and serves as a storage organ. But for now, lets just lump all underground storage organs as bulbs. This will include the corms, rhizomes, tubers and pips. If you plant it in a dried, bulbous state, and wait for the leaves and flowers to appear, we can give it the name "bulb". Do consider that when you buy your bulbs, everything is already contained inside it-the flowers, the leaves and the stems. Therefore, the larger the bulb, the larger the flower will be, and it should bloom its first season in the ground. Whether or not it blooms the next year will be determined by the care it gets while it is growing. Once its seasonal cycle is complete, everything is once again set for the following season.

There are two main classes of bulbs — spring blooming and summer blooming. Summer bulbs are still growing in our gardens and are preparing for their dormant season, while spring bulbs are just being planted. Some of our bulbs are hardy and can stay in the ground year-round, while others do need to be lifted and stored for the winter.

Summer bulbs which can stay in the garden include cannas, lilies, Liatris, elephant ears, peonies, crocosmia, and lycoris (the surprise lilies and Naked Ladies). Summer bulbs with marginal hardiness include gladiolus, dahlias, calla lilies and tuberose. Non-hardy bulbs which should be lifted and stored for the winter if you plan to keep them include caladiums, achimenes, and many of the amaryllis. To store the bulbs, lift before or immediately after a killing frost, let them air dry for a few days. Cut the old foliage off, shake off excess soil, and place in a cool dry place in a cardboard box, onion sack, etc. — not plastic. Replant in the spring after all chances of frost have passed.

For hardy spring bulbs, planting season is upon us. While the more common bulbs include daffodils, tulips, crocus and hyacinths, there are more options. Within the individual bulb groups there are options-sometimes too many to choose from. With careful selection you can start with snowdrops and crocus in January and end with flowering onions in June.

When planting bulbs, grouping them together in clusters will have a stronger impact than a single row of bulbs. Grouping them by season of bloom and color will also help. A mass planting will make a huge impact in the spring, and they can easily be planted under your winter annual plantings of pansies, violas and kale. The bulbs will come up around them and add to the seasonal color display. Unless you are growing the bulbs as annuals, and replanting each season, consider the foliage needs after blooming.

All spring blooming bulbs require a minimum period of growth following bloom, which should last at least six to eight weeks. While bone meal is the staple fertilizer at planting — (and remember when we plant we cannot alter flower size, we are simply aiding in root establishment,) bulbs do like a more complete fertilizer during the growing season. They aren't picky and it isn't hard to do. Simply scatter some complete nutrition — 13-13-13 or whatever you have on hand will work fine, around the bulbs when the foliage is well established but before they begin to bloom.

You can also use a light application as soon as they finish flowering. Allow the foliage to grow healthy for at least six weeks following bloom. While some gardeners do allow the foliage to begin yellowing before removal, that can often take months-in a good growing year. That isn't necessary, but it also won't hurt. Do avoid braiding or twisting the foliage-that can hinder food manufacture and means you need a hobby!

When planting your bulbs, you can dig individual holes for each bulb, but that can be a lot of work in our rocky soils. It is often easier to dig up an area, scatter your bulbs in, and then fill the soil back in. A general rule of planting is to plant two to three times the size of the bulb, deep in the ground. Small bulbs are planted shallow, while big bulbs need a deeper hole. Choose a site with good drainage-especially in the winter. Standing water and bulbs is not a good combination.

Spring bulbs are out there in abundance now. While you can always add to your collection of daffodils or hyacinths, consider some of the more unusual bulbs. Even within the old tried and true daffodils, there are some unusual options. Not all daffodils are yellow, some are white, some have orange or pink centers, some are fragrant and some aren't. By careful consideration you can have daffodils in bloom from late January through April. Most daffodils are long lived, and provided they get some sunlight following bloom, will re-bloom year after year].

Tulips aren't quite as easy. Tulips are usually one of the last of our spring blooming bulbs to flower. Warm temperatures during bloom can cause the flower display to pass quickly, and often the leaves are quick to follow. This coupled with the fact that many of the new tulips produce many daughter bulbs, making them share the energy, flowers in subsequent years are often smaller. Many gardeners treat tulips as annuals, planting new ones every year. If you don't want annual planting, consider some of the species tulips or earlier bloomers.

There has also been a resurgence of the heirloom bulbs which tend to take more abuse than some of their showier new siblings. Regardless of which flower you choose, or how long they last, tulips are definitely the showiest spring bloomer, and worth the effort.

Crocus bulbs may not stop traffic because of their demure stature, but they are the harbinger of spring, and a reliable performer year after year-sometimes even too vigorous. Give crocus room to spread, because they will multiply. Crocus bulbs are often interplanted in lawn areas. They grow so early and are low enough growing, that they can give your lawn an early blush of flowers and their cycle is complete by the time you need to do the first mowing.

Hyacinths are one of the most fragrant spring bloomers with clusters of pink, purple or white flowers. They also will rebloom with ease for many years, but do require annual fertilization.
Old-fashioned snowdrops and snowflakes will give you beautiful bell shaped white flowers in early spring, and will do well in a more shady location. Wind anemones will pop up early in the fall with lacy foliage, and bright colorful flowers. They aren't going to be around for too many years but are an interesting addition. Others to consider are the showy and large Crown Fritillaria with its crown of orange flowers, or the showy giant alliums, large lollipop-like flowers with a delicate onion fragrance.

Experiment with bulbs, and you may find some new favorites. Fall planting is easy-the hard part is the wait.