2017, The Year of the Pansy

Pansies are a friendly-faced flower! But until the 19th century most people considered them a weed. Today, pansies are a hybrid plant cultivated from those wildflowers in Europe and western Asia. Much of the collection and cultivation of pansies can be attributed to plantsmen and women in the UK and Europe more than 200 years ago. Lady Mary Elizabeth Bennet, cross-bred a wide variety of Viola tricolor and showcased her pansies to the horticultural world in 1813.

They're considered annual bedding plants, used for garden decoration during cooler planting seasons, tolerating freezing temperatures and frosts in the early spring. Pansies come in a rainbow of colors: from crisp white to almost black and most all colors in between. They are also a great addition to your spring or fall vegetable garden as they are edible and go well with lettuces. They can also be candied and used to decorate sweets or other dishes. Most pansies fall into a few categories depending on their flower size: Large (3 to 4 in.), Medium (2 to 3 in.) and Multiflora (1 to 2 in.). One of the modern large-flowered pansy series are Majestic Giants. Today's garden pansy varieties can fill any sunny space — large or small, hanging overhead in a planter or hanging basket or growing underfoot — with soft fragrance and happy blooms.



They can be started from seed if you have a warm area to get them started, then a cool place with plenty of light to keep them from stretching and getting floppy. It is easier to begin with transplants from flats or pots for immediate gratification without the work. The best location in your garden is an area that receives morning sun. Adding granular or time-release nutrition to the soil is encouraged as this increases their vigor and number of blooms. Offer plenty of water at planting and avoid letting them dry out during the adjustment period to help establish roots and minimize stress. Mulching can help retain moisture and reduce any weeds that are likely to compete with your plants. Pansies planted in early spring will enjoy the warm days and cool nights of the season. Most varieties will begin to diminish or go out of flower as nighttime temperatures begin to rise in the summer.

The National Gardening Bureau has more information about this wonderful early spring plant. Be sure to take notice of the particularly fragrant varieties.

Send any questions to info@meadowview.com and we'll get back to you with our best advice.

Meadow View Growers
New Carlisle, OH

www.meadowview.com.

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