There are a couple of limiting factors to starting pansies outside from seed in our area. First and foremost, if you want them planted out and blooming in the fall, they need to be started in late August to early September. And the weather outside is still way too hot for them to germinate well then. That's why my basement is so ideal. It stays a constant 65 to 70 degrees down there so I typically get germination in less than a week. They prefer darkness for germination, though they don't have to have it. I usually sow them in flats of soil, put them inside a rubbermaid plastic box and leave them in the dark, checking them every few days. Just as soon as they begin germinating, they need light AND continuing cool temperature, which means below 80 degrees consistently. Again, there's the rub, but since you are north of Atlanta, that might not be a problem. I know those Georgia hills get far cooler far earlier than we do. Fall came early this year even here, so I moved my plants outside two or three weeks ago. They LOVED getting sunshine and grew faster than usual. Now if you don't mind waiting until spring for blooms you can wait until outside temps are consistently in the seventies or less and sow them outside then. I would still sow them in containers, though. Pansy seed is not cheap and sowing in the ground would be mighty tricky. Grow the plants on until they are big enough for the ground and then transplant them. Once the plants have their first or second set of true leaves, I spend the better part of a day pricking them out and putting two seedlings each into a four inch pot. Once they are ready to go into the ground, I plant each pot of two plants as one and space them six inches apart. This gives a very full, lush bed, and in the spring, they are breathtaking planted in mass. Oh, how I wish I could post pictures!! Here are some other things I have learned in case you want to try your hand. (All borne out by the article rhizo posted.) They do not like being over watered. Once they are pricked out and established for a weeks or so, I slow their watering down to once a week. (While inside. Outside would be more like twice a week.) Oh, and when the plants are really tiny, it's much easier to water them without damage by having a spray nozzle set on mist. I drag my hose right into the basement for this purpose. And they do not like alot of fertilizer. I have tried alot of things over the years, and the one I have tried that they like best is fish emulsion. Lord have mercy, it is so stinky! But if you can get the plants outside it's bearable. Do cover the flats the first day though because cats will dig in soil with fish emulsion smell. Also be careful. The smell of it draws yellow jackets. Give it a try! It's fun and very satisfying!

I had a similar experience last Spring. When I was removing the mulch from around my musella lasiocarpa, two of the smaller sprouts near the ground broke away from the main stem without any roots. The bottom seemed to be rotten. On one 12 inch sprout there were 6 tiny lentil size buds. I potted the sprout, covering the buds with sand and put it in the greenhouse. I now have 6 or 7 twenty inch musella spouts.

IMA I stopped looking at the online grade thingie about 3 months after it was started in our district because I was the only one who cared...!!! not mom not dad not the kids ... so I not cared too ... I also gave up on asking if homework was started/done/had any ... not my concern my kids graduated ... you just have to stop giving a $hit about anything she does ...or doesn't do for that matter .... when her and dad are discussing trick or treating you get passive aggressive and somehow say ....hey SD can you print your online grades to show daddy I just haven't had the time... I have much less stress than I used to.. I cannot care anymore ... I know its hard to watch them fail but you have to let them and let their parents deal with it NYKNYP. It is simple to say and not easy to do ... I haven't asked any of them about homework in atleast 2 years ... does it drive me nutz sure ... but not much I can do about it other than drive myself nutz .... so I chose not to ask not to care... I know all children need guidance and structure and direction ... but I got nothing but grief from them and I was the only one who cared ..... stop caring focus on what you can change ... IMA your SD does it to get attention but not your attention mom's and dad's let them worry about it .... even if the only thing you can change is the sheets on your bed do it ... I know it sounds like I am a callous b&*$h but it is the only way I have kept my sanity... I will repeat the only thing I do for my SC is make dinner ... I do not even call them to the table to eat it. You see everything I did was answered with some snide remark or a grunt and groan ... even picking them up at school I would have to wait 20 minutes for them to saunter out of school. Dropping off I would be waiting in the car for them to saunter out for a ride to school... so I stopped rides to and from school nothing I did was good enough for their standards ... very high maintainance children :) My rules now: Eat your dinner ...if you don't like it I don't want to hear about it just get up go... I get out of work at midnight all kids should be in their rooms. If I am home by 10pm I do not want children in the living room go in your room stay up all night I do not care but do not bother me ... I know the dirty looks are aggrevating ... I do not make eye contact with SD it is very tense here when she is here but on the other hand its peaceful for me ... when she starts her BS I just go and find something else to do let her father deal with her ... Since I had the police come here in Aug SD has not pushed my buttons she tries to be civil ... when I am not here she has meltdowns because her dad and by an extension mom do not deal with it immediately. She knows I will not put up with her BS and have her removed from my home. Your SD is more sneaky than my SD ... my SD has meltdowns and explodes ...yours stays silent and plays victim .. mine becomes the tormentor... different actions same result. Afterall we wouldn't want them to actually like us and betray their never do anything wrong mothers ... My hubby cares a lot more than he used to but only because I have instilled in him that he wasn't doing them any favors by not parenting them... I nearly died yesterday when I heard him say to BM... I hope the children can't hear what you are saying about them.... he said she was saying f this I don't have to deal with this $hit anymore all they do is eat and make a mess little B&*(h was doing something that set mom off ... then SS13 (who is overweight) went to get a snack so she starting calling him a fat F*(K Hubby thinks she is looking to give up custody of SD because she doesn't want to deal with anymore. and wants less visitation with the boys ... I told hubby if that happens you are going to have it in writing through the courts with child support again.... its 50/50 now any diffent and she needs to pay support! That will keep her from doing it ... why should she pay for them.

I know that this is an ancient post, but I have a solution that might be useful for anyone else that might come across this post. Wall anchors are an option, but not the best option. It won't take much weight at all to rip that shelf off the wall (and down come all your belongings!). Wanna 10x your shelf strength? Try solid blocking. Blocking is the practice of placing horizontal wood pieces spanning between studs. If you place blocking behind your shelf, each hole in the bracket can be screwed into solid hardwood. EVERY. HOLE. IN. THE. BRACKET…. INSANE!!! I don’t mean to yell, but this method is BY FAR, the strongest way to install a floating shelf or floating mantel. Here are a couple of blog posts that describe this and related topics in detail: DIY For Beginners Series: Choosing the right fasteners for your DIY floating shelf project Shelf Safety: How To Install Floating Shelves Safely and Securely How to Fix (& Prevent!) a Sagging Floating Shelf Floating Shelves 101: How to Hang Your Shelves Like a Boss