When we were traveling in England many years ago, we stayed at a bed and breakfast in Cheddar. The owners were delightful and the gentleman of the couple was also the gardener. We were visiting in March, when not much is in bloom except the pansies. Keith referred to them as his “brave little flowers” as they were the first to bloom after a cold winter. The phrase has stuck with me and I think of it each time I see pansies.
So when I was talking to my new friend Margaret the other day, I happened to mention I didn’t yet have a good idea for my early October blog, she said, “You should write about pansies.” Of course, my mind went right back to Cheddar and those brave little flowers.
If you are like me, you think of pansies in the spring. But we would be shortchanging these beauties if that’s the only season we use them. Because they like cool weather, they are perfect for coastal fall plantings. They can sometimes get a little leggy after a full summer’s growth, but that is easily remedied by periodically pinching them back and using a little fertilizer with a high middle number now and then to promote blooms.
Pansies are members of the genus Viola, which also includes johnny-jump-ups and violets. Technically they are all considered perennials, but most folks grow pansies as annuals. Native violets are perennials and will grow best in shade to part shade, but like a little sun, especially during the blooming season. These pretty plants are great when used in a woodland setting and will easily spread via above-ground runners. Maybe too easily! This can make them good as a ground cover, though.
Pansies, on the other hand, will tolerate some sun, as long as it is not all day. They can be found in nurseries in the fall, and -when planted into the ground or in planters- will continue to bloom until very cold weather arrives. Pick the spent flowers before they go to seed and pinch back any leggy stems while you are at it. This will help keep the plant tidy and tight.
Margaret and I got to talking about pansy colors and she told me of a pure white one she had. While it sounds pretty tucked in with some other bright or dark colors, Margaret explained it didn’t really didn’t have a “face.” One of the charms of pansies for me is their little faces, so I wasn’t sure I would appreciate a pure white one. Margaret agreed with me that her pure white were not as appealing as some of the others she had planted. I have seen pale yellow and white ones that are tipped with purple, though, and even that little bit of edging allows the face to become apparent.
A few years ago I had seen some very dark-blue-to-almost-black pansies and they were predicted to be all the rage for that summer. They intrigued me and I reached for a six-pack. It was then I took a really good look. No little face could be seen. And silly as it may sound, to my mind, they looked rather funereal, which put me off, too. To me, pansies need to be in bright and happy colors, not looking like “widows’ weeds.” Or at least in soft pastels with contrasting colors at the throat. After all, there is such a wide variety of colors that there is something for every taste and color scheme. And although I do not care for them, I am certain black pansies would fit in to someone’s color scheme. They would be great in a Halloween arrangement with some miniature pumpkins, for example!
Find some colors you like and pick up some of these brave little flowers to make you smile as the days grow shorter.
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