Pansy Flowers

Pansy flowers are spectacular bloomers which show their flowers in early spring.

Gardeners from all over the world choose these plants to decorate their gardens, and no wonder – the verity of their colours are amazing, it includes the most incredible shades, for example black!

Pansy flowers are native to Europe, and they come from the violet family.

They start blooming in the beginning of spring, bringing a burst of colour to your garden much earlier than many other plants.

And what is extremely important – it is almost effortless to grow these plants, and Pansies care will not keep you occupied in the garden all the time as they are easy to care for.

Even inexperienced gardeners choose these plants for their flowerbeds. Pansies look great in windowsill pots as well, and also in baskets and other garden containers.

Planting Pansies

Pansy flowers usually grow from seeds. Pansy seeds can be sown directly to the soil of the location you have chosen in your garden, but it is highly recommended to start Pansy seedlings indoors if you want them to bloom earlier in spring.

Seeds take a long time for germination, typically from ten to twenty days which is why it is recommended that they should be sown early; sometimes it is even advisable to do that before the last frosts.

After the last frosts in your area the plants should be transplanted out. Keep the distance between Pansy plants around six centimetres, though they do not mind if they are a bit crowded.

Growing Pansies

These plants prefer full sun: although a light shade is acceptable too. Cool climate works better for Pansies than warm weather conditions. They hardly tolerate the heat in the very middle of summer.

In southern regions Pansies often grow in winter months when the weather is cooler. There are even special varieties available called Winter Pansies.

Pansy flowers are not very demanding in relation to soil type. The only requirements are to keep soil loose and moist. The plants really need a lot of water to ensure they grow fast. A reasonable amount of ordinary fertilizer should be added when planting Pansies.

You should plant your flower bed in advance: with a wide range of colours it is possible to create something exceedingly beautiful. Flower beds with a few layers look especially effective.

Do not forget about the procedure of “deadheading”, which means you should remove faded flowers when they have gone over – simply pinch off the spent blooms. It will make the blooming period longer by encouraging the new flowers to grow.

Care for Pansies

It is not common for these beautiful plants to have any diseases or insect related problems. The most typical problem for pansy flowers is to be attractive for slugs.

Occasionally they can be attacked by aphids. In this case using an insecticide or fungicide would be enough to get rid of unwanted insects. For a more natural and organic method, introduce some beneficial insects or use an organic insect repellent such as Diatomaceous Earth.

Pansy flowers will make a wonderful spring gift for somebody you care for. Beautifully arranged in a little basket, they will bring joy to the people you love and will remind them of your kindness by the cheerful beauty of these flowers. Their fragrance is not that strong, but it compensates with the variety of bright colors they have to offer.

Pansy Flowers and Plants

Here are a few varieties that you can search for.

• Forest Pansy Redbud
• Pansy – Got the Blues
• Pansy – Swiss Giant Mix
• Frizzle Sizzle Pansy Mix
• Envy Pansy
• Rippling Waters Pansy

Summary

Pansy flowers are very easy to grow, plant, and care for. I think they are one of nature’s greatest under-appreciated flowers. Not only are they beautiful and fragrant, there is a warm feeling that takes you back in time. This is one of my mother’s favourite flowers.

Pansies need sun to flower. You can grow them from seed if you want to or purchase plants from your garden centre.

Once in the ground or your favourite container they will require a fair amount of water, perhaps twice a week. This is a great time to buy a soaker hose, unless you are like me and like to see each and every plant in the garden when watering.

Mulching will keep the moisture in and lessen the need to water so frequently. Feed the soil with compost and plenty of organic matter and you can forget about commercial fertilizers.
These are hardy plants. They can take the cool weather but not too much heat. When it gets too cold they’ll go into hibernation for a short while and one day when it warms up a bit you’ll see their little faces smiling back at you.

Deadhead the spent flowers to promote new ones. Here in zone seven I’ve seen these little pansy faces do great through June in partial shade.

Don’t worry; they are not bothered too much by disease or insects and pests. Keep your plants healthy and avoid problems.

Have fun!