It’s Spring! In our gardens, early blooming snowdrops and crocus herald the new season, while daffodils and tulips emerge from the soil, promising colorful blossoms in a few weeks. For the impatient gardener the wait for these eagerly anticipated blossoms seems endless.
Pansies and violas are abloom and garden ready right now at your local garden shop. These cold hardy spring plants will immediately add lots of colorful blossoms to your garden.
Garden ready pansies and violas fill a greenhouse at Mill Gardens, Orford NH. www.millgardensfarmstand.com
Local garden shop and trusted partner Mill Gardens says, “To combat the mud season woes we have pansies outside and ready to plant in late April. Don’t let the name fool you. These are tough plants that can handle cool temperatures as well as sleet and snow.
Pansies in Your Garden
At just 7 to 9 inches tall, pansies and their smaller flowered cousins, violas, make ideal edging plants. Plant them in groups throughout the garden, too. They’ll fill your garden with colorful flowers right though early summer when both weather and soil warm up and perennials and heat-loving annuals hit their stride.
Pansies prefer humus rich soil and about 6 hours of sun a day. Morning sun is best. They can be planted as soon as the soil becomes workable (it should be around 45F to 65F). Plants should be spaced 7-12 inches apart. Water regularly. Pinching back spent blooms will keep them in bloom and from getting “leggy”.
Pansies and violas edging a garden.
Pansies in containers
Pansies and violas are excellent container plants. Place pansy-filled containers along walkways as well as on porches and decks. Fill deck railing planters with pansies. “Accessorize” your gardens with planters full of pansies to add height while taller plants get up to speed. Clay pots, baskets and standard containers work well, but why not add a touch of whimsy? Plant pansies in old sap buckets a pair of old garden boots or other containers your imagine may suggest!
Plant using a good quality potting soil mix optimized for containers. Pansies need good drainage. Quality potting soil mix will facilitate drainage and nutrient distribution. Place containers where the plants will get about six hours of sunlight a day. Water when needed. The soil should be moist but not soggy. Generally, water if the top inch of soil feels dry. Pinch off spent blooms to encourage continuous flowering. This helps keep the plants nice and full.
Above: Freshly planted pansies in a variety of containers.
Pansies in the house
Potted pansies make charming house plants. Use them to make an instant centerpiece, brighten a mantel or kitchen windowsill. If you are planning to plant them outside fairly soon you don’t need to repot, though you may wish to place the plant (nursery pot and all) into a decorative container.
Cut pansies in a vase will bring Spring into every room in the house. Choose flowers just approaching the peak of bloom. Arrange a few stems in a vase or even a glass and savor the simple pleasure brought by these delightful harbingers of Spring.
Enjoy the simple charm of pansies indoors. Cut pansies mix beautifully with other shorter-stemmed early bloomers like lily of the valley and Siberian squill.
Treat yourself to some of these versatile, easy to grow Spring charmers today! They will instantly brighten your spirits, garden and even inside your home. Many of our local garden shops are open for business and offering curbside/contactless pick up. Call ahead to confirm. Their experts will select plants for you, and even containers and potting soil as well as other garden supplies should you need them.
