It's not easy being green, at least in the middle of March.

Customers looking to soak up some tropical air and see a splash of color wandered the aisles at Valley Farms on Saturday, just one of several greenhouses nurturing sprigs of delicate plants.

Jacquie Hixson shopped for sweet pea and vegetable seeds. Jean Applegate browsed the pansies, looking for an Easter gift.

"They can hardly help themselves," said Valley Farms owner Barb Flynn, while tending to the small green plants. "They just want a place to go that shows something green -- and flowers."

March in Montana isn't the most colorful time of year. In fact, it can be quite drab, unless you're in the greenhouse, where all things spring are taking shape.

The pansies already bear small purple flowers. The lavender is budding. Black-eyed Susans, lilies of all colors, Russian sage and clematis are a few inches tall.

"People are so anxious, and they're just certain this is the time to plant," said Flynn. "My grandmother planted her sweet peas and potatoes on Good Friday. But this year, Good Friday is in the middle of March. It's not something we subscribe to. But there are people who swear that it's OK."

For those who can't wait for warmer days, Flynn said pansies are a good choice. The flowers already decorate the greenhouse, adding a splash of early season color.

"They can tolerate a little frost and snow," said Flynn. "They have the reputation for being wimpy, but they're a tough little flower."

In about three weeks, around mid-April, the nursery will begin offering perennials. Annuals won't happen until May, Flynn said, though gardeners can try planting bulbs.

Dressed in a sweatshirt, Hixson shuffled through the seeds, looking for perennial sweet peas. The flowers come in year after year, she said, and they make nice arrangements in vases and jars.

"I grow them in a morning setting with early sun," she said. "They don't like too much moisture, but they do like some mist."

The greenhouse was warm and tropical despite the brisk March wind blowing beyond the doors. While the sun may lure some into a false sense of hope, Hixson knows better.

"My bulbs are coming up, so I got some bulb food," she said. "I think we're going to put in some potatoes this year and tomatoes. I've always planted my tomatoes by seed. I get better luck."

Generally, she said, she plants her sweet peas on Good Friday, like Flynn's grandmother. This year, however, she'll wait for April.

But even waiting until next month will not reduce the threat of a late-season frost, which is never far from Applegate's mind.

"I'll wait until it gets a little warmer, and there's less chance of my flowers freezing," she said. "I just love seeing these things. It means spring is here."

Spring, of course, brings rebirth -- and new fawns, too. While Flynn can offer her customers a list of deer-resistant flowers, she can't offer a gurantee they won't eat those flowers anyway.

The deer, like people, seem drawn to the color in the dowdy days of spring.

"Natural selection shows us that the more deer there are in town, the more that list doesn't hold true," Flynn said. "They try new things, and the babies are born trying new plants their parents never ate, and they decide they like them."

Reporter Martin Kidston: 447-4086 or mkidston@helenair.com