I am a big fan of annual plantings; I look at the number of months of colour that an annual gives and the work of changing the plantings is not that dissimilar to regular garden maintenance.
In my garden, I have had some spectacular red salvias that have provided spectacular colour for months through summer.
However, with the cooler autumn temperatures, my bright red flowering display is starting to finish as we head towards winter. It is time to remove finished summer annuals and replace them with those that will provide colour during the dull winter months.
Pansies are one of the favourites for the winter garden, their cheerful faces giving happy feelings for many months.
The plants are easy to grow - so much so that, if left to their own devices, they will often self-sow and come up by themselves year after year. They will naturalise themselves into an area, coming up between cracks in paving or concrete, popping up throughout a garden and self-sowing into containers or pots nearby. They seem to survive in the toughest spots with little water or sun, as well as thriving in well-watered, fertile, sunny areas.
Pansies establish quickly, reaching the flowering stage from the first seedling appearance or planting in a matter of weeks. They then flower prolifically for six months or more.
It is little wonder the pansy is such a popular plant.
They thrive through three cooler seasons of the year but dislike the hot intense sun of summer. The cooler weather, while slowing the speed of establishment a little, doesn’t seem to slow the flowering.
The pansy is more popular than ever before and for many good reasons. The versatility of uses and tolerance of such a range of conditions have allowed this plant to gain popularity through all generations and ages of gardeners and non-gardeners alike.
There are a number of ways you can use these cheerful, easy-to-grow colourful plants to brighten up your winter abode and capture the imagination of others.
Hanging baskets
Pansies are excellent for growing in hanging baskets. Planting both the top and sides of the basket will create the appearance of a ball of colour which will look spectacular wherever you hang them. Using a wire basket with a coconut liner will allow you to put a slit in the sides with a craft knife through which the seedlings can be planted. When growing in hanging baskets, watering needs to be watched more carefully as, given they are suspended, they tend to dry out faster than pots on the ground. The addition of SaturAid to the potting mix, if it does not already contain it, will help dramatically with water retention.
Brighten the front entranceway
Nothing is more welcoming than a colourful floral display by the main entranceway; whether it is a home, shop, business or community building, a display of pansies will provide a most eye-catching and colourful display for winter and spring in garden borders and pots. Colours include purple, white, blue, black, scarlet, yellow, gold and mixed. All are vibrant and produce a bright mix of colourful, cheerful flowers on strong compact plants for a long period.
When growing in pots, don’t be tempted to reuse old potting mix – tip this into the compost heap and start again. More than half the success of any plant depends on the soil it grows in. Select a decent potting mix and you’re on your way to success. In the garden centre we recommend, and use ourselves, Ican Premium Potting Mix.
Pansy or viola?
What is the difference between these two similar but slightly different flowers? Plants considered to be pansies have four petals pointing upwards and only one pointing down, whereas violas have three petals pointing up and two pointing down. I think the common description that most of us generally use is simpler; the term “pansy” for those multi-coloured, large-flowered hybrids that are grown for bedding purposes every year, while “viola” is usually reserved for smaller, more delicate annuals and perennials.
Slugs and snails
The biggest pests for pansies, as with most annuals and bedding plants, are slugs and snails. These critters seem to disappear during the day and come out at night when no one is watching and devour young seedlings. When planting, it is prudent to spread slug pellets around to protect your winter colour display. The only other problem sometimes encountered when growing pansies is mildew. This shows up in the form of violet-grey powder on the top and/or underside of the leaves. It is a sign of humidity and in Whanganui usually only shows itself in late spring at the end of “pansy season” when the plants are best removed to make way for summer plantings of annuals.
The secret food for success
The little-known but favourite food of pansies is dried blood. This is not a fancy trade name but the name of the product - 100 per cent organic from the meat works. It comes as a powder in a 300g sachet which can be sprinkled around the plant and watered in. It is high in organic nitrogen and iron and, if applied regularly as a side dressing, will help prolong the flowering season and improve the health and strength of your pansies. Just a note, this is a quite different product to blood and bone which contains phosphate at a relatively high level which promotes more root establishment than the top growth and flowering promoted by dried blood. Use dried blood for pansies planted in baskets, pots or in the garden. Try it, you’ll be pleased with the results. Dried blood is also excellent for polyanthus, primulas and cyclamen.
For more gardening information visit www.springvalegardencentre.co.nz
* Gareth Carter is general manager of Springvale Garden Centre.
