Pansy & Viola Facts

 

 

     Pansies & Violas are one of the best ways to add color to those 6 months of cooler weather that we experience from October thru March. Most annual flowers that are used by gardeners are those included in the warm season annual group and dominate the warmer months from May thru October and are killed by the onset of killing frost conditions. Pansies and  Violas are cool season annuals that are generally hardy thru the winter months and dominate the cooler months of the year.

NOTE: For pansies to perform with strong winter hardiness, it is important to get

             them started and well rooted before winter.

 

     Pansies prefer good soil preparation planting to provide an oragnic, uniform and consistent soil texture. This can be achieve by incorporating Daddy Pete's Composted Cow Manure into the soil at a 50/50 ration which assisting organic matter and nutrients as well as improves soil drainage.

 

     We also encourage you to add Fertilome Premium Pansy Fertilizer to the soil when planting your pansies and Violas and finish that off with a 1" layer of Pine Bark Humus soil conditioner to aid in moisture retention and root insulation.

 

     Now that you had heard me reference Violas, well let me explain. All pansies are technically Violas being their botanical name, but Violas in our trade are typically recognized as a type of Pansy that has smaller blossoms much like what used to be known as Johnny Jump Ups. The unique thing about Violas is that they display great heat and cold hardiness.

     Though all pansies are considered to be quite hardy during the cooler periods, the Violas definitely present a stronger level of cold and heat tolerance. This means they Violas will color longer in the coldest winter months and are more durable to the heat in May during the end of their duration.

     Violas have become one of my favorite cool seasonal annuals and among my favorite are the Rocky Blue For You, Rocky Primrose, Rocky Golden Yellow, and Rocky Purple & White. Though the blooms are smaller, the volume of blooms is much much heavier and the color is solid and intense.

 

    

    Also, a good suggestion, to ensure strong root development and improved winter hardiness, is to 2 applications of Fertilome Root Stimulator to your pansies following planting appx. 10-14 days apart. This is a liquid solution that provides a well balance fertilizer high in Phosphorous along with Vitamin B1 and IBA, a rooting hormone to promote quick root development.

 

    When I reference pansies and Violas, I commonly think of three primary categories being the following.

 

• Blotch Series Pansies

        The category primary includes the large colored blossoms with dark centered "faces" within displaying strong bi-color blossom patterns.

 

• Pure Color Pansies

        This category primary includes medium sized blossoms with solid colors of a multitude of colors including yellow, white, blues, purples, orange, & reds. A series commonly referenced in this category is the Delta pure colors.

 

 

 

 

• Violas

        This category, as I explained above, consist of a smaller blossomed viola producing large amount of blossoms in a compact mounding plant. Colors range from solid to bi-color patterns for a blast of color.