That said, pansies (Viola x wittrockiana) don’t reliably keep coming back year after year unless ... and they bloom in shades ...

Pansies are the happiest plant on Earth. Their cheerful flowers are an instant pick-me-up, an instant cure for the end of winter blues.

Most years I buy a few pots of pansies to start the season, putting them in containers on either side of our front walkway where ... in just three colors, red, yellow, and purple.