Plant Profile: Pansy and Viola (Viola sp.)
Pansies and Violas are easy-care flowers that thrive in cool
weather and add a bright spot to garden beds and container plantings.
These aren’t your grandmother’s old-fashioned flowers.
Pansies and violas now come in dozens of colors, color combinations, bloom
sizes, and growth habits (from mounding types to trailing). Recent
introductions have also improved their cold tolerance and blooming vigor as
well.
There are more than 500 known species of violas and they are
indigenous to every continent except Antarctica, according to Barbara Melera of
Harvesting-History.com.
By the way, did you know the differences between a pansy and
a viola? Though pansies, are generally larger than violas. It is actually the petal
count and position that differentiates them. Pansies have 4 petals pointing
upward and only 1 pointing down. Violas have 3 petals pointing upward and 2
pointing down.
Pansies and violas (also known as Johnny Jump Ups) can be started
from seed in the fall for spring blooms or in the spring for summer and fall
blooms.
Pansies and violas are perennials that are hardy from Zone 3
to 9. Though they are short-lived plants and are usually treated as cool-season
annuals.
They prefer a highly composted, evenly moist soil and they
bloom best in full-to-part sun.
They go dormant in the heat of the summer and coldest parts
of winter, but will begin to bloom again when the weather is more temperate in
spring and fall.
Give them a slow-release fertilizer mixed into the soil when
planting them or added as a top dressing after planting. The best time to
fertilize pansies and violas is in the early spring and again in late summer as
they come out of their dormancy for fall blooming.
To keep them looking their best, deadhead them regularly
(that is, removing the spent flowers and stems). When they become leggy and
overgrown, you can cut back the whole plant to a couple of inches high to
rejuvenate it.
In the winter, lightly mulch around the plants and keep them
watered. If they are in container, it is especially important to not let them
dry out in the harsh winter winds.
Pansies and Violas: You can grow that!
The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine and edited by intern Jessica Kranz.
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