 | |
Viola & Pansy (Viola v wittrockiana) & (Viola x wittrockiana) by Gayla Sanders
Pansies and violas are plants I often associate with the Victorian Era; lace and tea in the parlor, and turn-of-the-century advertising illustrations of pansy posies with a child’s head in the centre. A strange juxtaposition between eerie beauty, bizarre old-time artwork, and Victorian formality attracts me to planting and growing hordes of them every year despite what could be (for me anyway) a negative association with the formal gardens of yesteryear. Pansies used to be considered just another common filler plant. But not today. They have become a favourite of experts and gardeners in recent years, largely due to development of new, modern versions and renewed interest in older heirloom varieties. Among the more unusual pansies growing today are those with "faces" (blotch patterns on the petals), an heirloom variety with ruffled petals, and new colours such as the black pansy or the fama orange. In my part of the world (zone 5), pots of pansies are still one of the first signs of spring since their cold tolerance has them in full bloom while many spring flowering bulbs are just sprouting leaves.
Both the viola and the pansy are members of the genus violaceae, and of the violet family. The common blue and yellow viola cornuta or 'Johnny jump-up' is the wild viola that most species of viola can be tentatively traced back to. Pansies, from the French word for ‘thoughts’ or ‘memories’, are actually bred from the viola but have been cultivated for thousands of years, so long that their origin is hard to trace. The result is a larger, more showy flower that is less hardy and tolerant of extremes in climactic conditions then the violas.
Pansies and violas are perennial plants but are often treated as biennials or annuals depending on the climate they are grown in. In climates with hot summers and freezing winters, they thrive in the cool weather of spring but become sun scorched and die back in the heat of mid summer. If they are planted in late summer to fall they will thrive during this time of cool weather and die back once conditions shift to freezing. Few gardeners take advantage of this season to grow them, seeing them only as spring flowers. In regions where the winters are moderate to mild, pansies and violas will thrive as perennials all year round.
Continue 1 2 Print this article
| | |
