Pansies blooming on March 20th, 2016 at Becky's
This is what the pansies looked like when I planted in Feb. 26th, 2016
I told you they would grow...the miracle of plant growing with the help of the greenhouse, heat, sunlight and water.
See what 30 days of growing can do in the greenhouse. Thanks to the greenhouse, sun, heat, watering the little plants will grow. That is the miracle.
So here is some information about pansies. Their smiles faces always bring a smile to everyone that sees them. Also I have noticed that the table they are on in the greenhouse, there is a very pleasant smell coming from them.
The names 'pansy' and 'viola' are often used interchangeable. There are many cultivars within the genus Viola and most of them are hybrids of the same handful of species, so there are a lot of similarities and probably only a botanist really cares which is which. The gardener knows pansies as cool weather flowers with almost heart-shaped, overlapping petals in bright colors or bi-colors and often with face-like center markings.
Pansies are one of the most popular and recognizable cool weather annuals. Breeding has produced pansies that are better able to stand up to the cold, but there hasn’t been much luck producing more heat tolerant varieties. Many pansies are bicolored, making them striking plants for their small size. Although delicate, they are surprisingly hardy. And like their cousins the violas and violets, the flowers are edible.
As compact, low growers, pansies are ideal for edging and for squeezing between rock walls and paths, as long as they can be removed in summer. They’re a great choice for early and late season containers and complement spring flowering bulbs, flowering as the bulb foliage begins to fade. If you like the variety of colors but still want a sense of cohesion, select plants from the same series. They’ll be similar in size and markings, regardless of the color.
When buying plants, choose pansies that are stocky, bushy and have plenty of buds. Avoid plants full of open blooms, because they will be stressed to near exhaustion from working so hard in a tiny pot.
They flower best in full sun and will get spindly in deep shade. Pansies do not like heat at all and will begin to decline as the days warm up. Regular watering will help them hang on a bit longer, but don’t expect your pansies to last all season.
If you can allow your pansy plants to remain in your garden and rest during the hottest months, they will probably begin blooming again in the fall. Shearing the plants back when they start to set seed, will encourage new growth. Deadheading will encourage more blooms. (MY MOM WOULD SAY THE MORE YOU PICK THEM THE MORE THEY WOULD BLOOM. IF YOUR LITTLE ONES PICK THEM FOR YOU THAT WOULD BE THE BEST FOR THEM, YOU AND THE PANSIES.) As with any long blooming annual, pansies appreciate some fertilizer. However too much food will just make them leggy. They respond well to monthly foliar feeding. So enjoy the first blooming plants of the greenhouse. Till next time, this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty, Iowa
