There are nearly half a thousand species of pansies. These are plants of the genus Viola and the family of Violaceae, as are the violets with which they are sometimes confused. Thought (Viola x wittrockiana), whatever its variety, is widely used in pots, planters or even in beds and flowerbeds because it brings a very colorful note on the terrace as well as in the garden and is capable of flowering for several months. Here is everything you need to know to grow Pansy, a very floriferous plant which, depending on the variety chosen, beautifies the outdoor space whatever the season.
Sowing Thought
It is very easy to get lots of Pansies just by sowing seeds between june and august. To do this, we proceed as follows.
- Reserve a corner of the garden for the nurserysheltered from the winds, or prepare boxes for seedlings.
- Add some sand to potting soil.
- Sow clear. Pansy seeds can be mixed with sand beforehand, which facilitates sowing.
- Cover them with thin layer of soil.
- Water with a mist so that the seeds stay firmly in place.
It is necessary that keep the soil moist until emergence, which only takes three to four weeks. It is then the time to transplant his thoughts in buckets so that they can be planted as soon as fall arrives.
Plant Pansies
Thoughts are content with a garden soil furniture but she better be rich in organic matter so that they produce even more flowers. They can also be grown in potting soil for flowering plants because they appreciate its lightness. As far as their exposure is concerned, it must be well sunny for fall-flowering varieties and partial shade for those that bloom in spring or summer. It is important not to expose this type of plant to the hot sun.
You can buy your pansies so as not to have to go through the sowing stage. Some are marketed in spring, others in autumn, since everything depends on their flowering period. All you have to do then is plant them as soon as you buy them, provided that it doesn’t freeze of course, either in a pot or in a planter, or in the ground. To create a compact mass, there are 10 to 12 feet of Pansies per square meter.
The cuttings works well and allows you to multiply your Pansies, especially those that do not give seeds, which is the case with hybrids. Just cut shoots about 6 cm high that have not yet produced any flowers, and plant them in a box of potting soil. The cuttings must then be sheltered from the weather. In the spring, it will be enough to transplant them in place. Note that some varieties spontaneously reseedespecially biennials such as Viola cornutaa pansy appreciated for its beautiful size flowers available in many colors.
It is necessary to choose varieties of Pansies adapted to the climate. In regions with harsh winters, the most rusticcapable of withstanding temperatures of the order of – 15°C without batting an eyelid, which is the case for the majority of Pansies because few of them are chilly.
Nurture the Thought
Pansy is easy to cultivate. But to enjoy a long and abundant flowering, you still have to think about maintaining it. a minima.
Water
Watering should be done regularlyespecially in summer because these plants do not tolerate dry soil well. Beware of pansies in balconies, which must be watered at least twice a week if it is not raining, because in pots and other containers, the substrate dries out very quickly.
Fertiliser
To obtain abundant and long-lasting flowering, it is essential to distribute regularly to these gourmet plants a slow-release fertilizer for flowering plants to be diluted in irrigation water. You can also bring them manure.
Mulch
It is recommended to put a mulch at the foot of pansies which remain in place in winter in order to protect their roots against the cold, especially in regions where winters are well marked.
Pests and diseases
Pansies are very popular with gastropods, especially the young shoots whose leaves are tender. To protect them from slugs and snails, it is useful to regularly spread slug pelletspreferably organic.
Flowering Pansies
There are thoughts to double flowersat small or at big ones flowers, available in a rich palette of colours. You can also find pansies in multicolored flowers. Whatever the variety cultivated, there is a golden rule which consists in remove faded flowers gradually to encourage new flowering. In this way, pansies bloom continuously for several months. Those with winter flowering also remain very flowery as long as the mild temperatures persist.