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It's official: spring is here!
(by Gina M. Mahon - March 19, 2008)
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Pansies can be planted in window boxes, containers or as a border planting, and they look great in a woodland type setting as well.
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All right, it’s official, but not because the robins have been sighted or the calendar says so, but because the garden/nursery centers have reopened and you and I both know that THAT is the official start of spring!
And what is the very first official perennial (which most of us treat as an annual) of the spring season to be sold as these centers? Pansies! Viola to be exact. We usually call these short lived perennials, biennials, pansy.
There are just so many varieties to choose from. Such as the tiny ‘Johnny Jump Ups’ in shades of blue, yellow, violet and white. There are violets that come in an array of purples and sometimes all white.
I love pansies. They are a great North American flower, although some species come from Europe, and . But for today, it’s the cultivated pansy that I want to talk about.
Pansies can be used in so many ways. Planted in window boxes, containers or as a border planting. They look great in a woodland type setting as well. You just can not go wrong with their strong colors of violet, pink, maroon, yellow and peach. Sizes range from the tiny ‘Johnny Jump Up’ of four inches to the larger 12-inch tall variety.
Pansies are a clump forming plant with lobed, kidney or heart shaped leaves. The flower’s face is flat and all have a similar five-petal count with the bottom petal being of a darker color. Pansies are adaptable and may be grown in the sun (during spring/autumn) or in the shade but a partial shade area would be better.
They like a rich, moist soil but should not planted in a constantly wet area of the garden bed. Since they are a cooler weather plant, most will tend to go dormant or die completely during the hot summer months if not kept out of the extreme heat. Those that have gone dormant may return when the cooler temperatures of fall arrive.
For myself, late last fall I purchased some deep almost black pansy/viola which kept its green foliage all winter, even under the snow and they are now back in bloom! So today I headed to my local garden/nursery center and bought a few more packs of mixed colored pansy.
Remember – there can never be enough flowers, so enjoy!
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