Pansies
By Ms Sherry
Published: November 4, 2007
Fall is the perfect time to think about jazzing up the garden for winter and early spring color— the perfect plant is the pansy. In the last 37 years I have planted my share of pansies, from just a few bare-rooted plants, early on, given to me by a friend to, yes, fourteen flats (a very ambitious year when every face spoke to me). With the ongoing drought I am nervous about planting flats and flats of annuals, but at the same time I can’t imagine the months ahead without seeing their happy little faces all over the garden.
The garden pansy that we know and love is Viola x wittrockiana. All pansies are members of the viola species but not all violas are pansies. True violas are perennials, and pansies are grown as annuals. Now available in garden centers, pansies come in every size from the tiniest flowered Johnny- Jump-Up (V. Tricolor) to the large flowered Majestic Giant, and in just about any color and color combination desired. The array of colors and faces is dazzling. Pansies with blotched faces, pansies with clear faces, even black pansies are available to the trade. There is a relatively new offering with ruffled petals. I especially love the ones referred to on their labels as violas (with mid-size flowers). They bloom their hearts out all winter; they sport smaller flowers than a regular pansy (but more flowers per plant and often in colors that often have names that can begin with a word like Sorbet). However, when the spring days begin to reach the high seventies, violas will fade very quickly, whereas the larger blossomed strains may take it easier during the winter and jump into glory once the days start to warm a bit. There is a relatively new strain available called a Panola, a cross between a pansy and a viola, and a joy to add to your collection. Bingo Blotch (with a blotched face) make wonderful garden addition also. Sometimes, to have the most choices, it is necessary to visit a specialty nursery. Buy where the pansies are cared for – deadheaded, watered, and fresh. They will reward you for your efforts. Sometimes those that cost a bit more money to start are worth it because of the extra effort that has gone into taking care of them.
When and wherever you decide to buy, choose good healthy plants; they should be stocky, short and bushy, not leggy and stretched. Leaves should be green and shiny. By the way, when you first enter the pansy section, you may be tempted to buy a six pack of each color and size (as I have done). Don’t! Instead coordinate your colors with your house colors and with any ornamentals such as azaleas and camellias that may bloom with them. I have read that a combination of three pansy colors in the bed is most pleasing to the eye. Check for yellowing leaves and inspect the bottoms of the cell packs to make certain the roots have not gotten badly pot bound.
To perform at their best, pansies should have 4 to 6 hours of sun a day. However, the more sun the plants get in late spring, the faster they will fade. Plant them with a mixture of calcium nitrate (five pounds) and muriate of potash (one and a half pounds). Space them about six inches apart in rich, well-drained, loose soil. Close proximity at planting will help guarantee a mass of blooms. A landscaper told me his secret for beautiful, healthy pansies was to double dig the soil before he planted. (Probably not a bad idea for any plant.) Water the plants in their flats well before you plant, and then water them well after you plant them, being carefully not to plant them too deep or to drown them. They should be planted no deeper than they were in the container–with their crowns at ground level. Mulch them immediately after the first frost. Gently separate the roots when you plant them, so the roots will spread out into the soil instead of growing in circles. Conventional wisdom has been to plant pansies four weeks before the first frost to give the roots time to take hold before the cold; but with our crazy late summer days (when the very warm temperatures and hot sun will cause the pansies to stretch and become leggy – not to mention the many constrictions on watering we all have to face this year) we might have to throw conventional wisdom out and wait until the days have cooled bit. (Here is an opportunity to collect the bath and shower water before it warms and use it to water your new pansies.) Over the winter you can take that same fertilizer you used to plant them (combining one tablespoon of the mixture to one gallon of water) and water with the liquid when we have a warm spell—give your pansies a little pick me up. Pansies do not seem to fall victim to lots of diseases if they are planted correctly. Slugs, however, love to munch. To rid your garden of slugs, check with your local Extension System Office for some suggestions. To have beautiful pansies, there is one very important task that must be performed; they must be deadheaded. If the spent blossoms are not pinched very regularly the plants will go to seed and use their energy to make seed instead of producing more flowers. Deadheading keeps the plants neat and compact. Deadheading a bed of pansies on a warm winter day in January (and we have many of those) can be one of the most satisfying of garden tasks. There is probably nothing like picking a bunch of pansy blossoms for a bouquet for your house to banish the winter doldrums. If any of your pansies happen to go to seed, especially the very small ones, little pansy plants may come up in your garden and neighboring containers. Pansies are a wonderful container and bedding plants. Consider adding some flowering kale and cabbage or parsley to your mix.
Of all the wonderful sights in the garden to me, there is nothing more delightful than a mass of pansies on a gray day in March. If you have never planted any pansies, head out to the store and bring home several–you will not regret it.
