How do you know winter's just around the corner in the Rogue Valley? Pansies start cropping up in flowerbeds and planters around town. These cheerful little flowers weather the winter without a fuss and provide a much-needed shot of color when the sky is gray and your garden is brown.

Photo: Finding My Home

These annuals are available in many brilliant colors: some solid, some shaded, others look like they've been tie-dyed. They come in almost every shade of yellow, purple, red, white, orange and pink, and some pansy blossoms have dark markings resembling a face in the middle of the flower. Pansies come in regular, miniature and giant varieties.