Four petals facing upwards and only one facing down, in a huge range of hues: that is the garden pansy (Viola × wittrockiana), the flower that fills beds, balconies and garden boxes. Give it the sunniest spot you have and mulch over the roots, and it will bloom even when the winter is quite harsh.
| Name | Viola |
|---|---|
| Family | Violaceae |
| Type | annual, biennial or perennial |
| Height | 3 to 6 inches (10 to 20 cm) |
| Exposure | full sun, part sun |
| Soil | normal |
| Difficulty | easy |
| Flowering | fall, winter and spring |
The planting, care and watering are practices which will lead you to have very nice flowers over a long period of time if you perform them properly.
Planting pansy
If purchased in nursery pots or containers, you can plant the pansy in fall or at the very beginning of spring.
Select a good soil mix instead of your garden soil, this will guarantee that your plant will bloom much better.
For beautiful blossoms, place it in a sun-endowed emplacement, especially in winter when then sun isn’t as strong.
Sowing pansy
Usually you’ll sow from early summer to midsummer to late summer.
About 4 weeks after sprouting, transplant to 4 inches (10 cm) apart, and then plant to the final growing bed in fall with special soil mix added in.
Pansies can be started at several moments of the year, and the date you choose decides the season you will be picking flowers. Here is how each starting point plays out.
| What you do | When | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Sow in the plot | Spring | Blooms already in summer |
| Sow for autumn flowers | early summer | Blooms in fall |
| Sow in a nursery | early summer to midsummer to late summer | Seedlings to transplant on |
| Transplant, then plant out | 4 weeks after sprouting, then fall | 4 inches (10 cm) apart in special soil mix |
| Plant nursery pots or containers | Fall or very beginning of spring | Ready-grown plants for beds and boxes |
Whichever date you pick, remember that no single variety flowers all year round.
Whether it blooms in spring and summer or in fall and winter, pansy only asks for very little care.
Any given variety cannot bloom all year round, that is why some pansies are rated to bloom in spring and summer and others are rated to flower in fall and winter.
When the variety is an annual variety, you can pull it out at the end of the blooming whereas a perennial variety will bloom again in the following year.
Pansies are sold as series rather than single named plants, and each one has its own flower size, colouring and best place in the garden. Use the table below to match a series to the spot you want to fill.
| Variety | Flower colour | Flower size | Main flowering | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sorbet Series | Many, often whiskered | Small, very numerous | Autumn to late spring | Edging and window boxes |
| Matrix Series | Full range, plain and blotched | Large | Autumn to spring | Beds and garden boxes |
| Delta Series | Clear and blotched shades | Large | Autumn and early spring | Early bedding, mass planting |
| Majestic Giants II Series | Blotched, wide range | Very large | Autumn to spring | Containers and front of bed |
| Swiss Giants | Bold mixed colours | Very large | Spring into summer | Cottage beds, small posies |
Pansies flower almost all year round depending on the variety.
A perennial originally, it is generally grown as a biennial and spring is when it is most spectacular with its great variety of colors.
It is also known to flower our gardens, balconies and decks and terraces in flower beds or in garden boxes, in fall and winter, even if the winter is quite harsh.
Over 500 different species are accounted for, which makes for a wide range of available flower hues.
They are often mistaken to be violets, since they look alike and belong to the same family. The only way to tell them apart is with the flower petals.
Here is how to distinguish violets and pansies
