Pansies Are No Pansies

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - There are lots of great reasons to plant certain flowers, trees or shrubs, one being that they remind you of someone special. People plant roses just like their grandmother grew; or an oak tree to remind them of the one they used to climb in their uncle's backyard.

Every year when I plant pansies, I find myself smiling because they remind me of my favorite pal who, years ago, was the first to tell me how he loved their happy 'faces,' the markings many pansies have on their petals.

Pansies aren't just happy flowers, but hardy too. Plant them in autumn and they'll bloom into winter, sleep under the snow, then bounce back in spring to start up the happy all over again.

Since pansies prefer cooler weather, planting them in the fall gives them time to develop the roots they need to help them survive into late spring and even the heat of summer.

Plant pansies now and you — and they — can still be smiling come the Fourth of July.