When to plant pansies in open ground. Features of growing pansies from seeds

Pansies from the Violet family represent an early beautiful flowering plant, known to many since childhood. In the scientific literature, this low flower up to 30 cm in height is called viola.

IN wildlife amusing passers-by colorful flowers There are about 500 species of violas.

Among them, the most popular in culture are:

• Viola tricolor - wild one- or two-year-old herbaceous plant, which is often popularly called wild pansy. Compact bushes are represented by rosette rounded leaf plates and flowers of white, blue, purple, yellow tones, formed on elongated peduncles. Flowering occurs from mid-spring to early autumn.
• Horned viola is a perennial garden form of violet that does not lose its decorative qualities over a long period of time. Species varieties are characterized by good winter hardiness. Flowers with different colors, pleasing to the eye from mid-spring to autumn frosts, have quite large diameter up to 5 cm and pleasant aroma. Due to easy cross-pollination with other violets, which may threaten the loss of varietal characteristics, the species should not be planted next to tricolor viola or Wittrock viola. Famous varieties: Alba, Boughton Blue, Columbine, Hansa.
• Viola Wittrock is the most common hybrid that can be easily purchased at a flower shop. He is garden form pansies. A bush of this type of viola is formed from erect shoots up to 30 cm high, covered with oval leaves with jagged edges. Irregular shape flowers with a diameter of up to 11 cm are painted in various, rarely monochromatic, colors with strokes and spots. Some variety series deserve special attention: “Swiss Giants”, “Bambini”, “Rococo”.
• Viola Sororia is a bushy species with early flowering in April-May. Flowers of small diameter rise above the heart-shaped leaf blades. Popular varieties: Ruba, Albiflora, Freckles.
• Viola Altai is a perennial up to 20 cm in height with flowers whose petals are painted blue or white with blue stripes, shaded with a bright yellow spot. A frost-resistant variety that can bloom from mid-spring until frost.
• Viola Williams is a brightly flowering hybrid with flowers of small diameter, which are distinguished by the absence of a characteristic “face”. In cultivation, the plant is represented in both bush and ampelous forms, which are often used in hanging pots or in flowerpots on the balcony. Famous varieties: “Pearl Falls”, “Bengal Fire”, “Amber Kiss”, “Froze Chocolate”.

Growing flower seedlings from seeds

So that the florist can witness the early and abundant flowering, in regions with temperate climate preference should be given seedling method growing pansies.

Sowing high-quality seeds purchased at specialized points is carried out at the end of winter as follows:

1. The seeds are soaked for half an hour in a fungicide solution for disinfection, and then for several hours in a growth stimulator.
2. The seedling box is filled with pre-calcined substrate from leaf soil and rotted compost.
3. The seed material is distributed over the moistened surface of the soil mixture.
4. The container is covered with film and moved to a warm, shaded place.
5. 2 weeks after the emergence of seedlings, the seedlings begin to gradually become accustomed to life without film.
6. A week later protective film is completely removed.
7. When 3 true leaves are formed, the seedlings are planted in a separate container, where they are grown until planted in open ground.

Planting viola in open ground

To ensure abundant and long-lasting flowering of viola, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to all the nuances of planting work, paying attention to the choice of location and soil.

Planting dates

Planting of hardened seedlings in open ground is usually carried out in the second half of May, when the threat of return frosts has passed.

Selection and preparation of a landing site

Pansies can grow in both sunny areas and shady areas. However, the “golden mean” will be a well-lit area with light shading, which will ensure the brightness of the flowers and a long flowering period. Cute bushes with cheerful “faces” develop well on fertile, light soils with a loose structure. Before planting, the soil in the selected area is dug up with the simultaneous addition of peat, humus and sand, which will help ensure all the required soil composition indicators.

Important! Poor soils can cause a plant to lose its decorative appearance, which is manifested by fading and smaller flowers and is especially important for varietal hybrids.

Landing technology

Planting flowers in open ground is carried out according to the standard scheme:

1. In the prepared area, holes are dug taking into account the root system of the seedlings and at a distance of 10 cm from each other.
2. A grain of sand is added to each depression, which acts as drainage.
3. Then pansy bushes are placed on it and sprinkled with earth.
4. The plants are watered and the soil around them is mulched.

Pansies: care in open ground

Flowers pansies They are unpretentious and a pleasure to care for.

Correct watering schedule

The moisture-loving plant does not tolerate stagnant water, so it is necessary to establish the correct watering schedule. IN summer heat for the viola root system, which is located in the arable layer (up to 20 cm), it will be enough to receive small portion water at intervals of 24 hours.

Attention! Moisture deficiency negatively affects the decorative state of the crop: shoots disintegrate along the ground in order to retain moisture on the surface sheet plates, and the flowers turn pale.

How to care for the soil?

In order for the soil to maintain a loose structure that provides free access of air to the roots, after frequent water procedures it is necessary to slightly loosen it, breaking the upper, airtight crust. Also, to prevent rapid evaporation of moisture, you can cover the soil around the bushes with a layer of peat or sawdust mulch.

Feeding and fertilizing flowers

Since pansies prefer fertile soils, they also respond well to systematic feeding.

Additional nutrition is carried out both by root and foliar methods:

• At the beginning of the growing season, plants are fed with complex mineral fertilizers with nitrogen content.
• To prolong abundant flowering, superphosphate is applied under the bushes, which can also be added when preparing the soil.

Carefully! You cannot use manure as a fertilizer for viola, which does not like high-fat soil.

Wintering of pansies

A relatively winter-hardy crop is not always able to survive a winter with little snow, which is typical for risky farming zones in the Central Zone, without outside help.

To cultivate pansies as a perennial, you need:

• avoid high-lying lowlands groundwater upon landing;
• protect plants during winter with covering material;
• carry out snow retention on the beds.

Protection from diseases and pests

Among the main enemies that often attack and infect culture are the following:

• Spider mite. When a microscopic insect appears, the plants are treated with an insecticide solution.
• Root-knot nematode. Helps protect bushes from pest infestation pre-planting treatment soil by adding sodium nitrate.
• Smut. The development of the disease can be prevented by pre-sowing seed treatment.
• Leaf spotting. At the first manifestations of the disease, the plantings are sprayed with a copper-containing fungicide.
• Gray rot. At the initial stages of the disease, normalizing the irrigation regime will help stop its development.

Reproduction of Pansies

Growing pansies is possible not only from seeds. The crop can also be propagated by vegetative methods.

Cuttings

This method of reproduction is also a fairly popular technique:

1. Long shoots are bent to the soil and placed in a previously prepared groove.
2. The layers are fixed in the furrow using staples and sprinkled with soil.
3. A month later, roots begin to develop from the internodes.
4. After complete rooting, the shoots are separated from the mother specimen and planted in a permanent place.

Garden decoration - where is the best place to plant pansies?

Early flowering compact bushes have found their application in the design of garden and park compositions.

They are often used in decoration:

• garden paths;
• hanging flowerpots;
• alpine slides;
• lawns with bright greenery;
• flower beds and ridges, where luxurious ornaments are created with the help of flowers.

Thus, pansies, distinguished by their beauty and early flowering, will become a wonderful decoration of the garden. Moreover, planting and caring for such an elegant and bright pet will not cause much trouble for the gardener.

Pansies are one of the first flowers to appear in a country flower bed. Already in spring, delicate bright flowers delight the gardener's eye with a riotous variety of colors: from pure white to deep black with various shades of red, yellow and blue. In the center of pansies there is always an unusual spot of a unique shape and color.

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Since ancient times, pansies have been associated various myths and legends. This flower is considered a symbol of love, fidelity and renewal of nature. However, gardeners love pansies not for their beautiful stories, but for their unusual combination of colors and unpretentiousness. However, even such an undemanding flower has its own characteristics and secrets of growing.

First, let's figure out what we will grow: garden pansies, Wittrock's viola or garden violet?

Choose between Viola and Violet to suit your needs

The affectionate name for pansy belongs to the viola flower or, as it is also called, tricolor violet, a herbaceous perennial plant from the violet family. There are 300 different varieties garden violets, which are combined into 15 groups.

The groups differ in flower color and size, flowering time, bush height and other characteristics. Such a variety of varieties will allow you to choose suitable look for planting even the most demanding and experienced gardeners!

The choice of variety depends not only on your color preferences, but also on the region in which you plan to grow and care for viola. In areas with warm climates, violets can begin to bloom as early as early April; for cold regions, this period shifts to early summer.

Most pansies are heat-loving plants, which love diffused sunny color, so if you live in cool regions, be careful when choosing a variety.

There are two most famous varieties Violas:

1. - an annual or biennial plant with small flowers. The tricolor violet reaches a height of 30–45 cm. This type of plant spreads well by self-sowing. Thanks to its well-known proven medicinal properties like this tricolor violet often finds its use in folk medicine.
2. Wittrock's violet is a perennial herbaceous plant. It is this variety that can often be found not only on garden beds, but also on summer balconies in flower pots and flowerpots. Wittrock violet flowers can grow up to 10 cm, the height of this plant is 40 cm.

Flowers can be smooth or corrugated at the edges, plain or a mixture of the most different colors. The Wittrock violet has many varieties, among the most popular are Alpensee with large flowers rich purple, Bambini with small yellow flowers, separated at the spot by dark stripes similar to eyelashes, snow-white PureWhite, orange SkylineOrange and many others.

Preparing the seeds for planting

Once you have chosen the variety that suits you, you need to think about planting. Pansies are planted in a flowerbed with seeds or seedlings. If you want to see early bright flowers in the flowerbed in the first year of planting, then grow viola using seedlings. In the second year, planting seeds in the ground in June of the previous year will help achieve early flowering.

In the first year, viola is usually planted in early to mid-May. To do this, make small holes no deeper than 1 cm, at a distance of 5-7 cm, put 2-3 seeds in each. After this, lightly sprinkle the pansy seeds with soil, be sure to water, and mulch the surface on top to retain moisture.

You will see the first flowers 20 days after planting, that is, at the beginning of summer. If you decide to grow viola seedlings, you will be able to see the first flowers earlier.

Growing seedlings without errors

Beginning gardeners are sometimes afraid to grow pansies at home on their own and buy ready-made seedlings in the store. You shouldn’t buy unknown, expensive seedlings when you can grow your own without any problems. It’s worth doing this in early February.

To do this you will need:

1. Prepare containers for seedlings with a fertile, moist substrate, which should consist of half turf or leaf soil, and the other half from rotted compost.
2. Before planting pansies, it is necessary to disinfect the soil, for example, using a fungicide.
3. After the soil has dried, make shallow grooves in it, place the seeds there and sprinkle with soil. Place containers with seedlings in a dark but warm place.
4. The first shoots can be seen within a couple of weeks. When they appear, you need to expose the pansies to the warm sun. In this place the air temperature should not be colder than 10 degrees.
5. When more than two leaves appear on the plant, you need to transplant the plants into separate containers. After this, you can briefly display and harden the pansies on the balcony.
6. Once a week, feed the plant with any flower fertilizer, but it is better to choose one that is suitable for violets.
7. At the beginning of May, seedlings can be planted in a flower bed.

When growing seedlings indoors, you need to pick pansies twice. It is better to do this for the first time when more than two leaves appear on the plant, approximately 14 days after planting.

After this, it is better to plant the viola in individual containers. The second time the seedlings are planted after two weeks - 20 days according to a 6 by 6 cm pattern.

Planting and care in the ground at the dacha and at home

We described planting pansy seeds in open ground above. Pansy seedlings are planted in a flowerbed at a distance of 20-30 cm. This distance is enough for the full growth and development of plants.

Violets grow well in soil that consists of turf soil, manure, peat and sand in proportions where sand is half as much as the other components.

Pansies are very unpretentious plant, however, it also requires care. It is necessary to systematically loosen the soil, remove wilted flowers, fertilize the plant with mineral fertilizers and water frequently.

But first, it is important to choose the right place for the plant on the site. Viola may die under the bright scorching rays of the sun, but in the shade its flowers will be small and faded, so choose a place with diffused light.

When leaving the viola in the garden for the winter, do not forget to cover the plant with spruce branches, and open it in the spring to avoid damping off.

The same rules for caring for the plant will apply if you decide to grow viola on the balcony at home. If you have south balcony, then in order to avoid fading of flowers in the bright sun, try to slightly shade the place where the container with pansies will be located.

Western and eastern varieties are ideal for growing pansies. open balconies. Plant garden violets in ordinary colored pots, balcony boxes or hanging baskets. Each plant needs 1 liter of soil.

Plants can be planted at a distance of 10-15 cm. To allow the roots to “breathe,” add a few centimeters of drainage to the bottom of the container. Don’t wait for the soil at the roots of the plant to dry out - water your homemade pansies on time. On hot days this can be done twice a day.

If in the heat the plant's stems turn yellow and dry, the flowers fade and fall off, you can prune it. Cut off either half the stem, or, if the bush has completely lost its decorative appeal, prune the plant radically. Leave only 5 cm of branches with leaves. In a few weeks, the pansies will bloom again with beautiful bright flowers!

Pansies - unpretentious flowers. They bloom with the arrival of spring and delight bright colors until frost. The bushes tolerate heat, cold snaps and other vagaries of weather well. Growing pansies from seeds yourself requires certain knowledge from the gardener.

History of the name

The colorful Pansy flowers have several beautiful name stories. One of the legends is about a girl who spied on those around her and made up all sorts of tall tales. The flower was named after her name.

Germany has its own version. The flower is associated with the stepmother, her daughters and stepdaughters. The largest petal is the evil stepmother, two smaller, brightly colored petals are her beloved daughters, and the plain ones are her stepdaughters. According to legend, the woman strongly disliked her stepdaughters, and the evil wizard decided to punish her. The stepmother received a spur, her daughters received a mustache, and her stepdaughters stood above them.

The ancient Greeks have an equally beautiful story. It says that Zeus fell in love with the daughter of the Argive king, Anyuta, but the evil stepmother bewitched her beautiful rival and turned her into a cow. The girl's human appearance was returned to her by her lover, who gave her a two-color violet, which was later named in her honor.

Modern botanical reference books indicate that the Pansy flower or Viola Wittrock received its name in honor of the Swedish professor Veit Wittrock. He was the first to describe the plant, trace the history of its origin and give a classification. Be that as it may, but beautiful flower and is still popular today. It is grown everywhere.

Choosing a Pansy variety

Viola Wittrock is a herbaceous plant with a two-year growing cycle. In warm regions it is cultivated as a perennial, but more often used as an annual plant. Today, garden pansies are grown from seeds through seedlings. There are many varieties of this plant; gardeners prefer the most beautiful:

• "Baroque" - a spectacular bush up to 30 cm in height, abundant flowering, corrugated upper petals, blue color, lower ones - burgundy with yellow;
• “Flamenco” - petals are corrugated, red-orange with a yellow center, dense strokes;
• "Flyamme" is a plant with brick-red petals and a dark spot in the center.

When choosing a variety, you need to consider the growing region. Some hybrids are cultivated only in the southern regions, for example, Tricolor. For middle zone They pick up varieties that are more resistant to cold, for example, Altai Viola.

In addition, the choice of variety for further cultivation depends on the gardener's preferences. Hybrid varieties of garden violets do not produce seeds for subsequent propagation.

How to collect seeds

Pansies reproduce well by self-sowing, but such plants bloom later. To enjoy flowering with early spring, practice growing seedlings. The seeds are collected independently. It's not that hard to do.

In autumn, Viola finishes flowering and seed pods form on the shoots. They are picked after ripening and gutted planting material, ripened and sent for storage. However, in windy weather, collection becomes more difficult and the seeds fall earlier. To prevent this from happening, during the growing process the largest boxes are tied with gauze or a bandage.

Important! The boxes are picked only after full ripening. The green ones are left on the bushes.

When to plant pansy seedlings

To ensure that the bushes are strong and bloom profusely throughout the season, Pansies are sown as seedlings in early February.

Soil preparation

To grow Pansy seedlings, purchase loose soil for flowers is used. You can prepare it yourself, but it is important to maintain the proportions. Mix in equal parts:

• turf land;
• peat;
• compost;
• sand.

The soil mixture is well sifted and disinfected, otherwise, during the process of growing seedlings, the seedlings will be destroyed by the black leg.

Seed preparation

Before sowing, Pansy seeds are soaked in growth stimulants, for example, Epin, Zircon. This procedure not only speeds up germination, but also increases plant endurance.

To prevent the occurrence of fungal diseases during the growing of seedlings, Pansy seeds are treated with the drug “Fitosporin”.

After all manipulations, the planting material is dried and planting begins.

Important! Purchased seeds do not require additional processing.

How to plant pansy seedlings at home

The technology for planting pansies with seeds for seedlings is standard. To grow seedlings, use plastic bowls or low containers. Before planting, they are treated with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate or Fitosporin.

Sowing instructions:

1. Fill the bottom of the container with drainage, pour fertile loose soil on top.
2. Compact the soil and moisten it with a spray bottle.
3. Distribute the seeds evenly on the surface of the soil, do not bury them.
4. Gently moisten the plantings using a fine spray bottle so that the seeds are drawn to the desired depth.
5. Cover the container with film and put it in a dark but warm place.

After sowing, there is no need to sprinkle small pansy seeds with soil.

There is another one interesting way sowing seedlings in the snow. The soil in the container is covered with a thick layer of snow, and the seeds are evenly distributed over it. Further cultivation is no different from traditional cultivation. As the snow melts, the seeds are independently drawn into the soil to the desired depth.

Seedling care

Growing Pansy seedlings, Special attention need to pay attention to caring for plants. Improper watering and unsuitable conditions can be detrimental to crops.

How many days does it take for pansies to sprout?

If everything is done according to the rules, the first shoots can be noticed 7–10 days after sowing. All this time, the containers are kept in a room where the temperature does not drop below +20 °C.

When the shoots are widespread, the film is removed to ventilate the plantings. Open the greenhouse gently once a day, gradually accustoming the Pansy seedlings to environment. Completely remove the film from the container when the seedlings become stronger. In the first stages of cultivation, seedlings need high level air humidity.

When growing seedlings, take care of proper watering shoots Pansies are tender and fragile at the beginning of the growing season; waterlogging of the soil is unacceptable. Water the seedlings with a spray bottle often, but little by little.

Important! Dry soil is just as destructive to seedlings as wet soil. The soil should remain moderately moist throughout the entire process of growing seedlings.

When to pick pansies after germination

Pansy seedlings develop quickly; they need picking to root system formed correctly. The procedure is carried out when 2 true leaves appear on the seedlings. For further cultivation, individual containers are used. During the picking process, the central root is cut by a third. The sprouts are deepened to the cotyledon leaves and watered.

Further cultivation of seedlings takes place indoors, where the temperature is maintained at 15–17 °C. To form strong bushes you will need good lighting If there is not enough natural light, then additional lighting will be provided.

Advice! To form a lush bush, the seedlings are pinched after picking. Subsequently, the procedure is repeated several times.

Two weeks after picking, Pansy seedlings are fed with a mineral complex. Then replenishment is repeated every week until planting in the ground.

The seedlings are transferred to the flowerbed in mid-May. 3 weeks before planting, Pansies begin to harden. Containers are taken out to Fresh air, gradually increasing the residence time. Immediately before planting, the seedlings are left outside overnight.

For further cultivation in open ground, pansies are planted according to the standard scheme. Leave 15 to 20 cm between plants. Choose a place that is well lit, but not in direct sunlight. You can grow pansies under the canopy of trees so that the bushes are covered at midday.

The soil for Pansies is prepared in advance. They enrich it with organic matter and dig it up. The main thing is that the soil is loose and breathable.

Important! When planting in the ground, the root collar of the plant is buried 1 cm.

Diseases and pests of seedlings

Improper cultivation of pansies from seeds leads to seedling diseases.

1. Root and stem rot.
2. Powdery mildew.
3. Yellow and brown leaf spots.

Weakened plants are attacked by aphids, mites, and thrips. At the first signs of the disease, the bushes are treated with special preparations.

Rot of the roots and stems of the plant cannot be missed. The flower fades, even after watering it feels bad. The reason for the appearance is a fungus. For prevention purposes, pansies are sprayed with a solution copper sulfate or other drugs containing copper.

When growing seedlings you may encounter powdery mildew - fungal disease with a characteristic white coating on the leaves and shoots. To combat it, use a solution of soda ash and soap. For 5 liters of water use 25 g of soda and 5 g liquid soap. Spraying is carried out every week.

Leaf spot is caused by a bacterial disease. It appears as characteristic spots different sizes. Complex action fungicides are used for control.

Conclusion

Growing Pansies from seeds in mid-winter allows you to enjoy the beauty of your favorite flowers all season long. Caring for plants is not difficult, just follow all the recommendations.

Hello dear friends

With the onset of warm weather, in addition to petunia plantations, very cute and bright low plants appear in almost all city flower beds and house flower beds. Despite the fact that the color range of these little beauties is very extensive, even a child can easily recognize them among the general variety of colors.

They are widely known as different names, some call them pansies, others are accustomed to the name viola for this plant, and still others know it as Vitrocca violet. Pansies are very unpretentious, and due to their miniature size, they are suitable for growing not only in open ground conditions, but will also serve as a wonderful decoration for any city balcony. With proper care, pansies can bloom with the onset of the first warm days and until autumn.

You can grow pansies either using seeds or using the usual method of plant cuttings.

How to grow pansies from seeds

I recommend planting pansy seeds in pre-prepared boxes in winter, so that by the beginning of the summer season you can get high-quality seedlings and a nice bright flower garden. in early spring. In this case, the seeds should be sown in moist soil in winter. Before the first shoots appear, the boxes are covered with glass or film and put away in a dark place. From time to time you need to carefully water the seeds using a spray bottle and ventilate the crops. When the first shoots appear on the surface, boxes with pansies are placed on sunny windowsills. After the seedlings have become a little stronger, they should be transplanted into individual containers for further favorable development. plants. Once positive temperatures have established outside, young plants can be transplanted into open ground. At the end of flowering, boxes with seeds are formed on the plants, which, when they reach a pale yellow or white shade, can be collected and used in the future as high-quality seed material. At correct collection and storage, pansy seeds are suitable for use and do not lose their viability for three years.

You can get good results when growing pansies from seeds by sowing the seeds directly into open ground. In this case good flowering will be provided only for next year after planting the seeds. Sowing seeds in open ground should be carried out no earlier than the end of June in order to ensure beautiful flower garden. After sowing, the first shoots usually appear somewhere in a couple of weeks, then after fifteen days the stronger plants need to be transplanted to a freer area, and at the end of August the plants can be replanted again in the place of the future spring flower bed. When planting pansies, you need to maintain a distance between plants of about twenty or twenty-five centimeters from each other.

How to grow pansies using cuttings

Cuttings of pansies can be carried out both in autumn and in spring. If you carry out the cutting procedure correctly in the spring, then by the end of summer you can get flowering plants. Autumn cuttings will provide blooming flower bed only next spring.

Green shoots with several nodes are cut from a pre-selected flower bush, after which it is necessary to plant them at a fairly close distance to each other and not too deep. If the site chosen for planting cuttings is located in an open and sunny place, then the planted plants need to be provided with additional shelter from aggressive sun rays. The soil at the planting site must be regularly moistened, and the cuttings themselves must be sprayed with water. About 30 days after planting, the cuttings will begin to form roots. The cutting procedure allows you not only to rejuvenate adult flower bushes, but also to get very quality material for landing. And varieties that are correctly selected according to their flowering time will allow you to create a flowerbed on your site with continuous flowering from early spring until the late autumn days.

Caring for a flower bed when growing pansies

Pansies are not a very demanding plant to care for; they need to be watered a couple of times a week, and when hot temperatures set in, they can be watered daily, but at the same time avoid stagnation of excess moisture in the flowerbed.

Plant nutrition must be carried out not only during the formation of buds, but also during abundant flowering. As a top dressing, it is better to choose various complex mineral fertilizers.

To ensure that the flowerbed does not lose its decorative effect for as long as possible, it is necessary to remove wilted inflorescences and weeds in a timely manner.

Pansies will be a wonderful decoration for your favorite garden, and when proper care These plants will delight you with bright flowers for many years. See you later, friends!

Pansies are one of the first flowers to appear in a country flower bed. Already in spring, delicate bright flowers delight the gardener's eye with a riotous variety of colors: from pure white to deep black with various shades of red, yellow and blue. In the center of pansies there is always an unusual spot of a unique shape and color.

Since ancient times, various myths and legends have been associated with pansies. This flower is considered a symbol of love, fidelity and renewal of nature. However, gardeners love pansies not for their beautiful stories, but for their unusual combination of colors and unpretentiousness. However, even such an undemanding flower has its own characteristics and secrets of growing.

First, let's figure out what we will grow: garden pansies, Wittrock's viola or garden violet?

Choose between Viola and Violet to suit your needs

The affectionate name of pansy belongs to the viola flower or, as it is also called, tricolor violet, a herbaceous perennial plant from the violet family. There are 300 different varieties of garden violets, which are grouped into 15 groups.

The groups differ in flower color and size, flowering time, bush height and other characteristics. Such a variety of varieties will allow even the most demanding and experienced gardeners to choose the right species for planting!

The choice of variety depends not only on your color preferences, but also on the region in which you plan to grow and care for viola. In areas with warm climates, violets can begin to bloom as early as early April; for cold regions, this period shifts to early summer.

Most pansies are heat-loving plants that enjoy indirect sunlight, so if you live in cooler regions, be careful when choosing a variety.

There are two most famous varieties of Viola:

1. - an annual or biennial plant with small flowers. The tricolor violet reaches a height of 30–45 cm. This type of plant spreads well by self-sowing. Due to its well-known proven medicinal properties, this tricolor violet often finds its use in folk medicine.
2. Wittrock's violet is a perennial herbaceous plant. It is this variety that can often be found not only in garden beds, but also on summer balconies in flower pots and cache-pots. Wittrock violet flowers can grow up to 10 cm, the height of this plant is 40 cm.

Flowers can be smooth or corrugated at the edges, plain or a mixture of a variety of colors. The Wittrock violet has many varieties, among the most popular are Alpensee with large flowers of rich purple color, Bambini with small yellow flowers separated at the spot by dark stripes similar to eyelashes, snow-white PureWhite, orange SkylineOrange and many others.

Preparing the seeds for planting

Once you have chosen the variety that suits you, you need to think about planting. Pansies are planted in a flowerbed with seeds or seedlings. If you want to see early bright flowers in the flowerbed in the first year of planting, then grow viola using seedlings. In the second year, planting seeds in the ground in June of the previous year will help achieve early flowering.

In the first year, viola is usually planted in early to mid-May. To do this, make small holes no deeper than 1 cm, at a distance of 5-7 cm, put 2-3 seeds in each. After this, lightly sprinkle the pansy seeds with soil, be sure to water, and mulch the surface on top to retain moisture.

You will see the first flowers 20 days after planting, that is, at the beginning of summer. If you decide to grow viola seedlings, you will be able to see the first flowers earlier.

Growing seedlings without errors

Beginning gardeners are sometimes afraid to grow pansies at home on their own and buy ready-made seedlings in the store. You shouldn’t buy unknown, expensive seedlings when you can grow your own without any problems. It’s worth doing this in early February.

To do this you will need:

1. Prepare containers for seedlings with a fertile, moist substrate, which should consist of half turf or leaf soil and the other half rotted compost.
2. Before planting pansies, it is necessary to disinfect the soil, for example, using a fungicide.
3. After the soil has dried, make shallow grooves in it, place the seeds there and sprinkle with soil. Place containers with seedlings in a dark but warm place.
4. The first shoots can be seen within a couple of weeks. When they appear, you need to expose the pansies to the warm sun. In this place the air temperature should not be colder than 10 degrees.
5. When more than two leaves appear on the plant, you need to transplant the plants into separate containers. After this, you can briefly display and harden the pansies on the balcony.
6. Once a week, feed the plant with any flower fertilizer, but it is better to choose one that is suitable for violets.
7. At the beginning of May, seedlings can be planted in a flower bed.

When growing seedlings indoors, you need to pick pansies twice. It is better to do this for the first time when more than two leaves appear on the plant, approximately 14 days after planting.

After this, it is better to plant the viola in individual containers. The second time the seedlings are planted after two weeks - 20 days according to a 6 by 6 cm pattern.

Planting and care in the ground at the dacha and at home

We described planting pansy seeds in open ground above. Pansy seedlings are planted in a flowerbed at a distance of 20-30 cm. This distance is enough for the full growth and development of plants.

Violets grow well in soil that consists of turf soil, manure, peat and sand in proportions where sand is half as much as the other components.

Pansies are a very unpretentious plant, but they also require care. It is necessary to systematically loosen the soil, remove wilted flowers, fertilize the plant with mineral fertilizers and water frequently.

But first, it is important to choose the right place for the plant on the site. Viola may die under the bright scorching rays of the sun, but in the shade its flowers will be small and faded, so choose a place with diffused light.

When leaving the viola in the garden for the winter, do not forget to cover the plant with spruce branches, and open it in the spring to avoid damping off.

The same rules for caring for the plant will apply if you decide to grow viola on the balcony at home. If you have a southern balcony, then in order to avoid the flowers fading in the bright sun, try to slightly shade the place where the container with pansies will be located.