Pansies
| Pansies or violas are one of the earlier blooming plants. Along with spring bulbs, they provide a welcome show of color after a gray winter. They come in a wide variety of colors with purples and yellows being the predominant colors. Many are bicolor. More than that, these beautiful flowers also love the fall. They grow well in the cooler weather and will withstand light freezes; so many people also plant them in the fall replacing summer annuals that are past their prime. They are hardy in zones 4-8 so fall plants will usually come back in the spring. They also will seed and naturalize themselves. They like soil rich in organic material, and do well in planters as well as the flower bed. These flowers are biennials, but they are usually grown as an annual. They can, under favorable conditions, be grown as a perennial. They tend to start looking a bit scraggly after a few years, however. There are also varieties that have been bred to flower the first year. |
For fall flowers, start them from seed in mid-summer and they will be ready to go when the cooler fall temperatures arrive. Plants for the spring should be started 6-8 weeks before the last frost is expected. The seeds will germinate in a couple of weeks at 65-70 degrees and should be kept at around 50 degrees once they have germinated to encourage stocky plant growth. |  |
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