by Connie Oswald Stofko
It’s a little early for herbs, “but people were asking for them, so we overwintered some and we planted some from seed,” said Jessica Limardi, staff member at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville.
This is the time for pansies, and you can also buy a floral arrangement for the total eclipse of the sun.
Herbs
There are just a few herbs now at Mischler’s; more will come later in the season.
Of the herbs that they have now, there are two that you can plant outside now: garlic chives and sage. If you want to plant them in the soil, make sure the soil can be worked, Limardi said. If you scoop up some soil and it’s crumbly, you can work it. If you squeeze it and it forms a glob, it’s too wet.
Herbs that will tolerate cold, but not frost include flat parsley, rosemary and cilantro.
Two herbs that should stay in the kitchen right now are dill and basil.
If you put dill outside now, “It will just get black and die,” Limardi said. “Keep it in the kitchen and give it as much light as you can.”
Basil needs warm weather. “Definitely keep it inside until the temperatures are in the high 60s,” she said.
Eclipse Day Bouquet
This Eclipse Day Bouquet is a sunny arrangement of fresh flowers. Mischler’s created it to mark our total eclipse of the sun on Monday, April 8.
The arrangement is completed with two approved eclipse glasses.
It’s a fun way to gather friends together and mark an event that won’t happen again in this area until Oct. 26, 2144!
Pansies
Pansies are a cool weather annual. They don’t mind cool temperatures and they can tolerate some frost. That’s why you can put a pot of pansies out now and leave it out.
They come in many beautiful colors.
There will be more cool weather annuals available at Mischler’s toward the end of April. Those include osteospermum daisies, diascia and some petunias.
Wow, that’s cool!
Pansies purchased at mischlers and planted last April 2022 are still blooming in an outdoor pot and never stopped bloomed throughout the winter