Pretty Pansies
It is instant color time in the garden with the addition of pansies, Johnny jump-up (Viola tricolor), or violas! These short-lived perennials are excellent autumn and winter grown plants for the garden. They are usually treated as winter annuals and enjoyed while the tropical plants spend the winter inside or dormant.
The cheerful, round blooms of pansies clear, penciling lines or with blotched faces. What’s not to like!
Many pansies are faintly scented with early morning or dusk being the best time to give them a sniff test. The yellow or blue pansies are reputed to have the strongest scent. Plant many together to concentrate their fragrance or plant them in containers close to a main door.
Great for containers, garden beds, window boxes, etc. with a huge range of colors to coordinate for your designing pleasure.
Pansies love the cool & cold weather. Snow and ice may temporarily slow down their blooms but it won’t stop these tough winter wonders. Many series are hardy to 10 degrees F. Plants were totally encased in ice during our last ice storm and they bounced right back in my garden. Some pansies may exhibit a purple coloration on their leaves during cold weather. Pansies will thrive until the weather turns hot. Most pansies do not tolerate hot and dry weather conditions.
The best conditions to grow pansies are in full sun to part shade with well-drained, organic, compost rich soil. Plant them in the garden anytime from late November (whenever it starts to cool down) through early spring.
Pansies are usually trouble-free but sometimes are attacked by downy or powdery mildew, crown or root rot. Slugs, snails and aphids are potential pests if pansies are grown in shady and moist conditions.
Water them well after planting and mulch to conserve moisture. Fertilize once a month with an all-purpose flowering plant food. Deadhead the finished blooms to keep the plant blooming.
Did you know that there is a town called Pansy in Texas? It is in Crosby County and is named for the attractive flower. Did you also know that pansy flowers are edible (use the ones grown organically).
Cultivars:
Accord Series (large) 8 colors
Crown Series (medium) 9 colors
Crystal Bowl Series (multiflora) 11 colors
Imperial Series (medium) 5 color mixes
Joker Series (medium) 4 colors
Lyric Series (large) 5 colors
Majestic Giants Series (large) 6 colors
Maxim Series (multiflora) 14 colors
Medallion Series (large) 6 colors
Padparadja (multiflora) 1 color
Roc Series (medium) 9 colors
Springtime Series (medium) 17 colors
Swiss Giants (large) old fashioned 5 colors
Universal Series (multiflora) 13 colors