Pansies

I never knew pansies could make me smile so much. This year, what we normally have as vegetable boxes on the balcony, are now flower boxes. There's a couple of reasons for the change. First, time was a bit more limited this spring with our son's first birthday planning, businesses to start and resting whenever a spare moment presented itself. So, this is how we ended up with pansies.
Pansies are super easy to plant, they are inexpensive and they last well up into mid summer (maybe even the end of July if this rain keeps up).
I first planted them in late April. It had been warm for a couple of weeks, and we didn't think there would be anymore cold freezing nights.

Since the pansies have been planted, they have been a constant source of enjoyment. They are such delicate looking flowers, but yet they can withstand incredible winds (we are on the twenty-fifth floor), scorching sun (there is no balcony above us for any shade), rainstorms that have included the odd hail, and the wee hands of a twelve month old gardener.
The colours are staying so bright, and they are thriving as well as perky. They are also very happy to have the firewitch flowers as neighbours, now that they have bloomed. Here's a shot after last nights rain. Dancing in the wind.