Want to know everything about pansies? Detailed description of the flower with photo. Pansy - perennial flower: description of the variety Pansy species

Pansy flowers- a beautiful flowering plant with flowers of various shades, in the center of which there is a spot; it can be of different shapes and colors. Pansies are members of the Violet family. The Latin name of the plant is Viola tricolor. The flower is also known as tricolor violet and Viola Vitrocca. The plant is a thin stem with rounded leaves and single flowers (see photo). Japan and China are considered the birthplace of pansies. The flowers grow wild in Europe. Viola can be found on forest edges and clearings; it grows both in gardens and along roadsides. In the language of flowers, violet means reflection, meditation.

There is a touching legend that pansies are Anyuta turned into delicate flowers. The girl saw off her beloved to defend his homeland, but the guy did not return home. Even having turned into a flower, the girl looks out for her beloved, “peers” into the distance. Pansies have long been a symbol of love and fidelity. In France and Poland, it is customary to give these flowers as a souvenir to a loved one during separation. In England, there is a tradition of sending a dried flower with your name to your chosen one if the guy is embarrassed to confess his feelings to her. Also in England, pansies are presented to the beloved girl on Valentine's Day. Flowers were also used in love magic: people believed that if the juice of the plant was anointed on the eyelids of a sleeping lover, then after waking up he would love this girl forever.

Pansies are often planted as an ornamental plant. They are often used for floral decoration. Touching violets look great together with tulips, daisies, forget-me-nots, and daffodils. Violets are unpretentious, tolerate replanting well, and can be combined with many ornamental plants. Pansies are widely used in cooking and medicine. It is better to collect flowers for gastronomic and medicinal purposes in the field, since violets collected in city parks can be not only of little use, but also dangerous. For culinary experiments, it is better to collect flowers early in the morning, when they are filled with dew.

Growing: planting and care

You can grow pansies in the garden, in open ground, the plant is cold-resistant and unpretentious. Flowers can grow in both sunny and partial shade. The only thing is that violets planted in partial shade will not bloom so abundantly and brightly. Flowers prefer fertile soils. Pansies are propagated by seeds and cuttings. The time for sowing seeds depends on the desired flowering time. In order to get maximum flowering in early spring, you need to have time to plant the seeds at the end of June.

Plant care consists of regular watering and fertilizing. When watering, it is important not to overwater the plant, otherwise it will simply rot, It is better to water flowers only during drought. You can feed pansies with mineral fertilizers containing nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. The period of violets occurs in April - May, depending on planting. The plant can bloom until late autumn. In order to prolong flowering, it is recommended to remove flowers that have bloomed, since otherwise the plant will stop blooming and the seed stage will begin.

Collection and storage

Pansies, or tricolor violets, are collected during their flowering period, which occurs from May to September. The plant's herbs are harvested for medicinal purposes. Tricolor violet can easily be confused with fragrant violet; the main difference between these species is that the former does not have a characteristic violet aroma. When preparing medicinal raw materials, it is important to separate the plant’s grass from roots, seeds, and flower remains. Dry pansies in a cool place, away from direct sunlight.

Medicinal properties

The medicinal properties of pansies have long been used to treat certain diseases. Pansies have found their use in official medicine due to the presence expectorant, diuretic, diaphoretic properties. The aerial part of the plant is rich in vitamin C (up to 300 mg), carotenoids, and flavonoids. Viola grass also contains mucus, bitterness, and salicylic acid.

Pansy flowers are part of a homeopathic remedy that is used for skin diseases, vaginal candidiasis, and vaginal itching. Externally, a decoction of pansies is used for eczema. For acne treatment a collection is prepared from the herbs of pansies, veronica officinalis, and string. All herbs are taken in equal quantities. To prepare the decoction, add 200 ml of boiling water to 2 tablespoons of the herbal mixture and leave for about 10 minutes. Take 800 ml infusion an hour after meals.

For skin diseases, prepare an effective home remedy called “violet oil.” To prepare the product, take 100 ml of olive oil, 10 grams of pansy flowers, 5 grams of ivy leaves. All ingredients are mixed and boiled for 10 minutes in a water bath, then the oil is filtered and stored in a glass jar. Soak a napkin in violet oil and apply it to problem areas.

Use in cooking

In cooking, pansies have found use in the preparation of floral desserts. Pansies are edible flowers, which allows chefs around the world to prepare a wide variety of dishes from them. In Western restaurants that serve these flowers, such dishes are very expensive. Pansies are added to salads; the flowers give them an appetizing appearance and a pleasant taste. Flowers of dark shades are often added to vinegar to give it an interesting, soft lilac color.

Like other edible flowers, pansies are great for making dessert dishes. The tender petals of this plant are added to fruit jelly and yogurt. Pansies are great for decorating a cake. A popular recipe for preparing pansies is sugaring flowers. In order to prepare such flowers, it is enough to select the freshest and most beautiful pansies, wash and dry them. Then beat the egg white and apply the resulting mass with a brush on both sides of the petals. The last stage is to sprinkle the flowers with powdered sugar; the flowers are left at room temperature until completely dry or dried in the oven. Candied flowers can be consumed as a separate delicacy or used to decorate desserts.

Small flowers can be served in homemade cocktails if you first freeze them in ice cubes. In order to diversify the jelly, the bottom of the mold can be decorated with pansies, and then filled with any light jelly. Pansy petals are often brewed with tea, resulting in a very gentle and healthy drink.

The benefits of pansies and treatment

The benefits of violets are obvious if you have skin diseases. Decoctions are prescribed as lotions on the affected area of ​​the skin.

Pansies are effective and for respiratory diseases. Violet infusions and decoctions are prescribed as a diuretic and choleretic agent. Violet has proven itself well in the treatment of whooping cough and bronchitis. The medicinal infusion is prepared from a tablespoon of dry raw materials, which is poured with a glass of boiling water. Infuse the resulting decoction for two hours. The infusion should be taken 1 tbsp. l. 3 times a day. The infusion is effective for gout, rheumatism, and arthritis.

Traditional medicine uses pansies much more widely. A decoction of pansies is used as an enveloping agent for gastritis. For the treatment of sore throat a herbal mixture is brewed from pansies, dead nettles, string and strawberry leaves. One spoon of the collection is poured with 200 ml of boiling water, and the decoction is taken 3 times a day.

Harm of pansies and contraindications

Pansies can cause harm to the body due to individual intolerance. Long-term use may cause digestive problems, vomiting, and diarrhea.

These flowers have been familiar to us since childhood. Their shape is unusual, and their colors captivate with the variety of shades of petal color. They are gentle and touching just like their name.

This is probably why everyone who grows flowers will definitely find a place in the flower garden for the tricolor violet, which we still, as in childhood, call pansies.

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Pansies - description

Pansies- biennial or perennial plants, reaching a height of 15 to 30 cm. The flowers have the shape of a violet. At the beginning of the growing season, pansy bushes grow compactly, but then they grow and reproduce by self-sowing. The advantage of the tricolor violet is that it blooms at the end of April and blooms almost all summer.

Flowers of simple varieties of pansies, as a rule, have a diameter of 3-4 cm, and selection specimens can reach 7 cm.

Pansy, or tricolor violet, is one of gardeners’ favorite plants. If you do not have a garden plot, these flowers can be grown in flowerpots on the balcony throughout the summer.

The colors of pansies are whimsical and delightful: you can also find completely white violets, and sometimes they are painted in several colors at the same time - blue, yellow, white, purple or red. In the center of each flower there is an eye of a color contrasting with the color of the petals. It was the eye that became the reason that the tricolor violet is called pansy.

Pansy is a flower from the Violet family. Its official scientific name is Wittrock's violet and is sometimes called viola. Some types of pansies are annuals, others are biennials, and there are several types of perennial violets. I'll tell you a story...

The unpretentiousness of pansies

My sister has been trying to grow these flowers in her flowerbed for several years now, but every year they fade, leaving no “offspring.”

I bought pansy seedlings and planted them, admired them enough and didn’t even hope to see them next spring. Imagine my surprise when the next year the violets sprouted on their own as a result of self-seeding. A year later they grew to cover the entire flower garden. And we are not talking about some simple flowers, but about Dutch selection violets, the so-called technical specimens, which are considered sterile.

My sister and I's plots are located nearby, and the soil on them is the same. And what should I tell my sister, who plants pansies year after year, cares for them, waters them, feeds them and experiences the same disappointment every spring?

Caring for pansies

Caring for pansies is easy.

According to my observations, they love well-lit places and fertile soil. The soil can be enriched by purchasing a soil mixture rich in minerals and scattering it in the place where you intend to grow pansies. You can also add complex mineral fertilizers (nitrogen for greens, phosphorus and potassium for flowers) to the soil when digging up a site in the spring.

But fresh manure is contraindicated for violets: in the wild, the ancestors of the tricolor violet grew on the edges of forests, and there the soil, although fertile, was not “greasy.”

Water violets sparingly. They do not like excess moisture and can rot from it. If you water pansies every other day, and the next day loosen the soil around them, they will tolerate even abnormal summer heat well. Lack of moisture has a bad effect on the appearance of violets: they spread out on the ground, trying to retain moisture over the entire area of ​​leaves and shoots, and the flowers become small and pale.

The main enemies of pansies are the larvae of various insects living in the soil. For example, the larvae of the cockchafer can destroy several bushes over the summer.

Pansy propagation

Pansies reproduce both by seeds and cuttings.

Seeds are sown for seedlings at the end of February. 2-3 weeks after the emergence of seedlings, pansy seedlings dive and are transplanted to a permanent place in May.

It's hard to take your eyes off these charming, vibrant flowers. The variety of colors of the petals evokes admiration for the creations of nature. Viola (tricolor violet) in Russia was called: scrofula, tricolor, moth, half-flower or pansy. The article is devoted to the nuances of growing this wonderful crop in open ground. In the article, we will look at the varieties and look in detail at planting and proper care of the plant.

Description of the plant: varieties and varieties

Pansies are perennial plants, but cultivation is usually carried out according to the agricultural technology of a two-year crop. Abundant flowering in open ground occurs in spring and the first half of summer. Touching flowers open their petals to meet the first rays of the sun as soon as the snow melts.

Single flowers with a diameter of 6 to 10 cm rise from the leaf axils. Sometimes viola flowers emit a delicate, subtle aroma. The leaves of the plant are delicate, light green, oval, with a crenate or jagged edge.

Cultivated varieties amaze with the magnificence of their varied colors. Breeders have bred a huge number of multi-colored violas, including: the whole spectrum of lilac shades, yellow, white, blue. Pansies in red-brown tones are not uncommon these days. Varietal violas have contrasting stripes, eyes, and borders on the petals.

Wittrock's classification of viola: varieties and series.

Pansies are usually divided according to the height of the bush:

• short;
• medium height;
• tall.

The second sign of the division of viola varieties is based on the size of the flower:

• species with large flowers;
• small-flowered varieties;
• with giant flowers.

In addition, pansies differ in the appearance of the edges of the petals:

• smooth petals;
• wavy edge of petals.

Based on the color of the petals, the following types of viola are distinguished:

• varieties with monotonous (one-color) color;
• two-color varieties;
• a series of flower varieties with contrasting spots and stripes.

Pansies comprise more than 15 groups of ornamental garden varieties, which differ significantly in flowering time, flower color and size, shape, and winter hardiness. Breeders have developed many giant, wavy-edged varieties, including semi-double and double varieties. They can grow well in open ground.

The charming flowers of the “Russian Size” variety series exceed 10 cm in diameter. New selections are ampelous pansies of the “Waterfall” variety series. These plants are intended for hanging baskets; they are characterized by abundant, lush, long-lasting flowering.

In landscape design, monochromatic pansies are popular, the planting of which allows you to delimit the garden area with contrasting colored spots.

Currently, single-color specimens of viola have been bred in bright, pure colors:

• blue;
• purple;
• yellow;
• white;
• orange;
• red.

Planting a plant

The high decorative value of pansies in open ground directly depends on the planting location. Although the plant is quite shade-tolerant, in dense shade it degenerates: the flowers become smaller, lose their saturation, the stems of the plant stretch out and fade. The flowering time of such plants is significantly reduced.

The second condition for the luxurious flowering of pansies is the soil. Viola does not tolerate dry, rocky, sandy soil. This flower develops well in fertile soil, with a high content of nutrients and moisture. Viola care is minimal.

How to plant pansies correctly: planting and care

Pansies - planting and care are not difficult: you can plant the plants directly from the seeds into the soil. To do this, the soil is loosened and the seeds are planted shallowly. Watering the crops is done carefully using a watering can with a fine strainer so as not to wash the seeds out of the soil. Shoots in open ground appear on the 7-10th day.

To speed up flowering, care should be taken in advance to use the seedling method, when seeds are sown in a greenhouse or greenhouse in advance. This agrotechnical technique allows you to obtain abundantly flowering bushes much earlier than when sowing with seeds. Growing seedlings begins in February. Boxes with seeded viola are kept for a week in a dark place. With the emergence of seedlings, the boxes are moved to the brightest place. Caring for seedlings involves timely watering and hardening. Pansy seedlings are planted in the ground in mid-May. Flowering can begin within a month.

Important! Watering the seedlings must be carried out regularly, preventing the earthen ball from drying out or becoming waterlogged.

Viola is an unpretentious plant. Caring for her is not difficult. The plant requires regular watering, but it does not respond well to stagnant water in the garden bed.

Important! To prolong the flowering of the viola bush and preserve the decorative appearance of the plant, faded flowers must be removed regularly. Pinching stimulates the development of side shoots, which increases the number of decorative flowers.

Fertilizer and feeding

When preparing a bed for planting viola, it is important to provide for the application of fertilizers to increase the flowering period. Granular double superphosphate is excellent for this purpose. The fertilizer is embedded in the soil, where it slowly dissolves during the summer season and feeds the plants with phosphorus, which is responsible for the beauty of flowers.

During the growing season and flowering of pansies, it is necessary to apply complex fertilizer for garden flowers. The frequency of application of nutrients is carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.

Excellent results are achieved when applying foliar fertilizing, when the fertilizer is sprayed on the foliage.

Important! Pansies do not tolerate manure.

Plant propagation

In addition to sowing seeds, pansies can be easily taken from cuttings. Propagating viola by cuttings in open ground is not difficult. Around the beginning of summer, green cuttings with 2-3 internodes are cut from the bushes of the plant. Fresh cuttings are planted in a prepared bed. When planting, the viola should be watered and sprinkled with water.

Important! The use of growth stimulants (epin, kornevin, heteroauxin) increases the survival rate.

Propagation of the crop by green cuttings allows you to obtain a hardened, full-fledged bush, ready for flowering, in less than a month.

Diseases and pests

Unfortunately, tender pansies are not immune to diseases and pests. Pansies have many diseases:

Powdery mildew affects the entire plant. The affected parts of the flower die over time, and new buds do not form.
Treatment: a water-soap emulsion is sprayed over the plant.

Gray rot causes damage (rotting) to all parts of the plant. Treatment: spraying with a 0.5% solution of copper oxychloride up to 4 times every 1 week.

spotting- premature death of leaves; slowing down flowering. Treatment: the same control measures as for gray rot.

Blackleg- development of rot on the root collar and roots of the flower. Develops with excessive watering, dense soil and stagnant water. Prevention: use of clean planting material, properly organized watering. Growing a crop in a waterlogged bed leads to the death of plants.

Pests of pansies are aphids and spider mites. Affected plants wither, stop blooming, and eventually die. In case of severe infestation, it is necessary to treat the flower garden with appropriate pest control preparations.

Pansies: combination with other plants

Wittrock's violet goes well with low-growing perennials or biennials:

• Daisy;
• Horned violet;
• Iberis;
• Forget-me-not;
• Lobelia.

When planting flower crops together, you should select plants of a suitable size so that nearby growing specimens do not oppress each other.

An excellent combination in a flowerbed is achieved by planting pansies alone, and varieties of the same color or a multi-colored mixture are selected. Such flower beds look elegant and decorative.

Pansies in landscape design

The use of pansies in landscape design has become widespread and very justified:

• young crops bloom in the same year (when sown through seedlings);
• a wide palette of colors makes it possible to choose the appropriate variety for any flower bed design solution;
• The flowering of the crop begins quite early, in the cold spring, when there are few flowering crops.

Viola clumps look great on an emerald green lawn. Carpet ornaments are laid out from flowers, paths are lined with them, and planted in hanging flowerpots. Planting does not cause any trouble or difficulty, and caring for viola is quite simple, so it is often used to decorate areas in landscape design.

Rules for planting viola in the ground: video

Pansies: photo

Among the early and beautifully flowering cultivated plants, pansies occupy one of the first places in floriculture. The variety of their colors and color combinations is simply incredible: from pure white to almost black with all sorts of shades of yellow, blue, and red. In the center of the flower there is often a spot of original shape and color. In this article we will talk about the most popular types and varieties of pansies, and also share our experience in growing these beautiful flowers.

Pansies - beautiful, like in a fairy tale! © Jon K Content:

Description of the plant

There are two most popular types of this plant - Violet tricolor and Violet Wittrock. They differ in the shape of the flower. F. wittrock has larger flowers, while F. tricolor is a small-flowered plant.

• Pansies, or Violet tricolor (Viola tricolor) - a herbaceous plant common in Europe and temperate regions of Asia; species of the genus Violet of the Violet family.
• Wittrock's violet, or garden pansies (Viola × wittrokiana) is a herbaceous plant of hybrid origin of the Violet family. Under this name numerous varieties and variety groups obtained with the participation of tricolor violet ( Viola tricolor), Altai ( Viola altaica) and yellow ( Viola lutea) and some other species.

In ancient times, pansies were credited with the ability to bewitch love: one has only to sprinkle the juice of the plant on the eyelids of a sleeping person and wait for him to wake up - he will fall in love forever. The French and Poles give pansies as a keepsake when they are apart. And in England a tradition was born: a young man who is embarrassed to declare his love just needs to send his chosen one this dried flower and write his name.

Pansies are perennial plants ranging in height from 15 to 30 cm, they are usually grown as biennials. Their showy flowers follow the shape of a violet. The bushes are compact at the beginning of the growing season, then become spreading; The main shoot is erect, the root system is fibrous. In the axils of the leaves, pansies form peduncles, the ends of which are crowned with single large flowers with a diameter of up to 7 cm. The special value of pansies lies in their early and abundant flowering. In central Russia they bloom already at the end of April.

Numerous varieties of large-flowered violets are common in cultivation - a complex hybrid obtained during many years of breeding work. Many modern hybrids are heat-resistant and have the ability to bloom throughout the summer.

Growing and care

Pansies are used for early spring two-shift flower decoration. In the summer, when it loses its decorative value, it is replaced with summer flowers. But depending on the timing of sowing and the adopted agricultural technology, you can get flowering in summer and late autumn. In this regard, pansies are a very flexible, undemanding and easy-to-cultivate plant.

Pansies are propagated mainly by seeds and green cuttings. Depending on the planned time of flowering, sowing is done at different times. To obtain abundant early spring flowering, seeds are sown in the summer of the previous year.

In the northern and northwestern zones, for example, near Leningrad and Murmansk, seeds are sown in open ground (nurseries) in the second ten days of July so that the plants do not develop too much, are not excessively large, and do not bloom in the fall.

Pansies are winter-hardy plants, but in the North-West, and sometimes in the middle zone, they experience freezing and damping off. More often this happens in damp places and when sowing dates are violated. If the seeds are sown in late May-early June, the seedlings bloom in the fall and outgrow. Such plants go into winter already weakened; they do not tolerate winter well and often die out.

Therefore, plants that are well bushed, but not overgrown or weakened by autumn flowering, tolerate overwintering better, do not wither away and bloom well in the spring of next year. With later, belated sowings, the plants go into winter not strong enough and have little bushiness. They winter worse and bloom later in the spring.

A winter with little snow and severe frosts has a negative effect on the overwintering of pansies. Spring can be especially destructive, when the snow melts very early, thaws begin, and at night there are severe frosts. Therefore, it is advisable to retain snow on ridges with pansies. They do not tolerate low, damp places and especially spring stagnation of water.

Pansies are winter-hardy plants. © albert_zsolt

Propagation of pansies by seeds

To obtain seedlings, sowing is done in nurseries or on well-cultivated ridges in rows; seeds are not sown densely in a row; seedlings appear on the 6-14th day. Regular care: watering, loosening rows. The seedlings are spread to other ridges or nurseries, where they should overwinter. The picking distance is 20x20 cm. Picking must be done in a timely manner, preventing the seedlings from stretching and outgrowing.

The next year, in early spring, the plants quickly begin to grow and bloom. To speed up flowering, the beds can be covered with film in early spring. Pansies in bloom are transplanted into flower beds. To decorate windows and balconies, they are planted in pots or flower boxes.

Caring for plantings in places of registration consists of systematic weeding and loosening. If necessary, water and control pests. It is useful to feed the seedlings with ammonium nitrate and add superphosphate (20-40 g per 1 m2). Pansies do not tolerate fresh manure. To prolong flowering in the summer, it is necessary to remove all faded flowers in order to delay the development of fruits, since when seeded, the plants stop flowering.

On poor, dry, sandy soils, pansies quickly become smaller, especially varieties with gigantic flowers. On such soils it is necessary to apply organic fertilizers in the form of compost and humus (5 kg per 1 m2); applying fresh manure is not recommended. In a sunny place, pansies produce large and bright flowers. In partial shade they bloom a little longer, but poorer, the flowers are smaller and not so bright.

In the summer, when pansies fade and lose their decorative value, they are dug up and replaced with annuals.

To obtain seeds, the most typical strong compact specimens are selected from among the plants dug up and planted on seed beds (they can easily tolerate replanting in a flowering state). Watering is necessary.

Considering that pansies are cross-pollinating plants, when planting them for seeds, it is necessary to maintain spatial isolation of one variety from another. This will allow you to obtain pure-quality seeds. Seed collection should begin when the boxes turn yellow, otherwise they will quickly crack and the seeds will spill out.

If desired, pansies can be grown as an annual crop. To do this, seeds are sown in February-March in a greenhouse or room in bowls or picking boxes. In April they dive into greenhouses, and in May they are planted in the ground. When sown in spring, pansies experience prolonged flowering in the summer of the same year. But in terms of the abundance and size of flowers, the annual crop is much inferior to plants grown from last year’s summer sowing.

For autumn flowering, pansies are sown in April-May; they bloom on the 55-70th day.

Vegetative propagation

Of great interest is the vegetative method of propagating hybrid varieties of pansies - by green cuttings in open ground. It is simple, effective and at the same time allows you to keep the variety pure and get a lot of planting material in one summer. Cuttings are taken from May to July in 2-3 doses. All green terminal shoots with 2-3 nodes are suitable. To do this, low ridges are made in shaded, slightly damp places (under the canopy of trees). They are compacted tightly and watered.

The cuttings are planted tightly to a depth of 0.5 cm, so that the leaves of one cutting are in contact with the leaves of another. 400 pieces are planted per square meter. After planting, spray with water.

In the first days, to avoid wilting, the planted cuttings should be covered with paper soaked in water, creating a more humid atmosphere, which promotes rapid rooting. Care consists of daily watering, spraying, and weeding. After 3-4 weeks, the cuttings give 95-100% rooting. With early (May, June) cuttings, the plants bloom in the summer or autumn of the same year. Later cuttings produce abundant flowering in the spring of next year.

Rooted cuttings are transplanted into ridges or flower beds in the fall. When cuttings are taken very late (August), it is better to leave the rooted plants to overwinter at the cutting sites, covering them with a leaf for the winter. Plants should be planted in flower beds in the spring of next year.

Propagation of hybrid pansies by green cuttings provides rejuvenation of plants, which tend to grow greatly in the third year to the detriment of flowering. About 10 cuttings can be cut from one mother plant at one time, and over the summer - 30-45 pieces.

The best varieties of pansies

Small-flowered varieties

• "Blue Boy"- blue-blue flowers, 3-4 cm in diameter;
• "Snow Maiden"- flowers are white, 3-4 cm in diameter.
• "Little Red Riding Hood"- flowers are bright red, 3.5-4 cm in diameter.

Large-flowered varieties

• "Ice King"- the flower is white with a barely noticeable yellowish-green tint. The lower three petals have purple spots, the edges are smooth. Flower on a long stalk (8-10 cm), up to 5 cm in diameter. Bush height 20 cm.
• "Winter sun"- the flower is bright yellow, on the three lower petals there are dark velvet-brown spots, the edges are uneven. Flower on a long stalk (8-10 cm), 5 cm in diameter. Bush height 20 cm.
• "Heavenly Queen"- the color of the flower when blooming is almost pure blue; in the sun it fades and acquires a light lilac-blue hue. The flower reaches 4.5-5 cm in diameter. The edges of the petals are smooth, the peduncle is long - 9-11 cm. The height of the bush is 20 cm.
• "The Magic of March"- the flower is dark purple, almost black in color when fully blooming. The petals are velvety, the edges are smooth. The flower is 5-5.5 cm in diameter, the peduncle is long (9-10 cm). Bush height 20 cm.
• "Jupiter"- the flower's upper petals are purple-violet at the base and whitish at the top. The color of the three lower petals is also purple-violet, the edges of the petals are even, the pedicels are short (7-8 cm). Bush height 20 cm.
• "Evening Heat"- the flower is brownish-red, the lower three petals have darker spots in comparison with the main background, the edges of the petals are slightly wavy, the pedicel is long (9-10 cm). The flower reaches 5-5.5 cm in diameter. The bush is low 10-15 cm.

Gigantic varieties

• "Blue"- the flower is violet-blue, there are dark purple spots on the three lower petals, the edges of the petal are even, the flower is 6-7 cm in diameter, on a long peduncle (10-11 cm). Bush height 25 cm.
• "White"- the flower is white with a barely noticeable yellowish-greenish tint, reaches 6-7 cm in diameter, the edges of the petals are slightly wavy, the peduncle is long (9-10 cm). Bush 20 cm high.
• "Golden yellow"- the flower is monochromatic, golden-yellow in color, reaches 6-7 cm in diameter, the edges of the petals are even, the peduncle is long (10-12 cm). Bush height 20 cm.

Possible growing problems

Of the pests, pansies can be affected by aphids and cutworms, against which appropriate drugs are used. Diseases that occur if agricultural practices are violated include blackleg, root and stem rot, spotting, and powdery mildew.

Thanks to their unpretentiousness and abundant flowering, pansies are grown in flower beds and in balcony boxes, decorating plantings of bulbous flowers and alpine slides. With proper care, they will delight you with their flowering from early spring to late autumn.

There is a legend that after many years of waiting, the faithful girl Anyuta turned into this flower, who once saw off her groom to protect his native land, who never returned. And now, like many years ago, pansies stand near the road, “peering” into the distance with hope.

Pansy or tricolor violet (viola) is a common variety of flowers, loved by many gardeners because of its ease of care and variety of flowering. The color palette of the plant varies from snow-white milky to black and purple. Thanks to the unusual pattern of inflorescences and seed pods, reminiscent of a human face, pansies are associated with many legends and superstitions. It is believed that the plant helps to find love and bewitch a loved one. And in France and Poland, this particular flower is given after a long separation. Pansies will decorate any garden plot, flower bed or lawn with their charming appearance.

Description of the plant “Pansy”

Pansies (Wittrock's viola) belong to the group. However, due to their wide distribution in mid-latitudes, they are often grown for no more than two years. The height of the bush depends on the variety and climatic conditions, usually 15-30 centimeters. Externally, the flowers are very similar to violets, from which they were bred. The plant has a fibrous root system and an erect main stem.

Pansies

In the first month after planting, the bush is compact, and by the end of the first year of life it can grow significantly in width. The flowers are single, but on one bush their number can be more than 10, the diameter of one inflorescence is up to 7 centimeters, depending on the variety. The color range of pansies is varied, which is often used by gardeners to decorate a flower bed or terrace. There are single-color varieties and three-color hybrids.

Many gardeners love this plant for its early flowering, which occurs in April-May, when other plants are still in a state of growth.

Types and varieties of flowers

With the help of selection, numerous varieties of pansies have been developed, which are distinguished by their growth characteristics, resistance to unfavorable climatic conditions, diseases, and also have different shades of petals. There are more than 400 varieties of this plant, divided into groups depending on the size of the flower.

Small-flowered

The diameter of one flower in these species does not exceed 6 centimeters.

• Hemalis winter. This is a combined name for numerous varieties of pansies, characterized by early and very long flowering. They are frost-resistant and compact, which makes it possible to grow them even on the balcony. The most famous varieties of Hemalis: Nordpol (white flowers), Helios (bright yellow), Mars (rich blue color), Jupiter (white-red petals);

• Station wagon F1. This group includes 10 varieties, distinguished by small bushes and abundant flowering;
• Rococo. This variety is characterized by ruffled petals of a purple hue;
• Flamenco F1. A variety that does not tolerate frost well, but has a unique color - a blurry yellow spot in the center of a red-orange petal.

Medium flowered

These varieties have flower diameters from 6 to 7.5 centimeters.

• Trimardo. One of the oldest types of pansies. They have a spreading bush and abundant flowering. The flower shape is classic, the color depends on the variety. For example, Adonis (light blue petals), Cardinal (dark red), Morenkönig (black);

• Swiss giant. The advantage of this species is the early onset of flowering and unique resistance to frost. The most famous varieties of this species are Firneshnee (white petals), Flamme (orange-red), Bergwacht (purple-blue).
• Joker F2. The petals of this hybrid species are colored in two or three very bright colors. 7 varieties have been developed, the most famous of them is Jolly Joker;
• Veseler Ice F1. This species is represented by 8 varieties of different colors;
• Quedlinburger Risen. A fairly common type of pansy in Europe. It has abundant early flowering, but poor resistance to low temperatures.

Large-flowered

The diameter of these types of pansies reaches 8.5 centimeters.

• Crown F1. This species has large flowers with small bushes. Great for decorating flower beds. 9 varieties are presented;

• Power F1. The petals of plants of this species have bright colors and long flowering. The most common are 13 varieties;
• Shalon Supreme. The species is represented by only 5 varieties, the peculiarity of which is corrugated petals of various shades of purple;
• Dynamite. One of the most interesting viol series. 13 varieties have single-color petals with a large spot of contrasting color; 10 varieties are completely monochromatic. The most unusual variety of this species is Strawberry; the flower petals of this hybrid change color depending on the air temperature.

Giant violas

Varieties of this type have flowers with a diameter of 8.5 centimeters.

• Super Majestic Giants F1. This type of pansy is represented by 8 varieties with a long flowering period. The diameter of the flowers reaches 11 centimeters with a relatively small bush size. The color of the petals is represented by a wide range of colors from beige to purple;
• Magnum F1. The newest species in the series with early flowering. 12 varieties have been developed.

These are not all types and varieties of violas. Using breeding methods, new hybrids are regularly developed that have unusual colors and flowering characteristics.

How to grow from seeds

Some gardeners plant pre-grown seedlings in prepared soil. This method reduces the risk of plant death while still in seed state and is excellent for regions with unfavorable climatic conditions.

Care during the flowering period

During flowering, plants need special care; they need constant watering, loosening the soil, and also getting rid of weeds. This improves flower quality and prolongs flowering time.

• immediately after planting, regular loosening of the soil and daily moderate watering are necessary;
• For active plant growth and successful formation of ovaries, it is important to feed pansies. Complex mineral additives can be used as fertilizer, but the use of organic fertilizers is prohibited. Read more about the types and features of applying mineral fertilizers;

Mineral fertilizers

• During the flowering period, faded buds must be removed in time to allow new ones to grow. Plus, this technique allows you to avoid fruiting, which will lead to the cessation of flowering;
• When growing spring varieties of viola, after flowering they need to be dug up, after which summer varieties can be planted.

Planting as an annual crop

Pansies are often used as annual flowers. To do this, the seeds need to be planted in containers that are covered with transparent plastic film. Starting in April, you can transplant the seedlings into a greenhouse or greenhouse; after a month, the plants are completely ready for planting in an open sunny place. In warm regions, planting is permissible from the beginning of spring; this will allow flowering to occur by mid-June. As a rule, violas begin to bloom 2 months after planting.

Annual flowers are distinguished by a smaller diameter of petals and small bushes. Therefore, this type of cultivation is not suitable for the formation of a large flowering lawn.

Cuttings

Many pansy hybrids can be grown using cuttings. This method allows you to preserve and improve all the species characteristics of an individual.

Cuttings

1. Shoots with several ovaries are harvested from early May to late July. Next, they are planted in the prepared soil;
2. It is advisable to plant cuttings in well-compacted beds with high density. It is important to monitor the planting depth; it should not exceed a few centimeters. Up to 400 plants can be planted per 1 square meter;
3. After the cuttings are in the ground, the soil must be moistened with a spray bottle or a small watering can and complex fertilizer must be applied;
4. To better adapt the colors, you can cover the area with damp paper or a glass jar. This will protect the plants from unfavorable external conditions. In the future, care is the same as for seed planting.

Using cuttings, you can rejuvenate perennial plants that lose their quality and grow strongly over the entire area. From one pansy bush you can get more than 10 new plants.

Diseases and pests

Although pansies are known for their resistance to disease and pests, there are a number of problems that gardeners may encounter.

The most common diseases are:

• rot - affects the stem and roots of the plant, causing blackening of the surface and wilting. If the infection is minor, you can remove the infected areas of the plant, but if the infection is significant, the use of fungicides is necessary;

Only regular preventive treatment and compliance with growing conditions will help avoid the appearance of pests and diseases. Often the appearance of a disease on one plant can lead to the death of the entire planting.

Pests are no less dangerous for violas. They typically appear in humid climates and on old plants with frequent planting.

• Aphid. These are very small insects that live in large colonies. They infect the entire surface of the plant, most often the stem, and feed on its juices. As a result, the flower dies or weakens significantly. You can get rid of aphids using insecticides;
• Root root nematodes. This is a type of worm that appears in the roots of pansies. Settling inside the root system, they eat it away from the inside. As a result, galls or swellings form on the roots, causing the plant to quickly die. The problem can only be dealt with with the help of insecticides. As a rule, plants need to be treated twice, since the chemicals do not affect nematode eggs;
• . Pests eat the above-ground parts of the plant. They affect not only pansies, but also other flowers in the area. To get rid of slugs, you can mulch the soil or make special baits.

Video

For a clear example of growing pansies from seeds, see Ivideo

Conclusion

Pansies or violas are charming flowers that will decorate any garden plot. They have numerous colors and petal sizes, which allows you to create entire flower pictures in your garden. Plus, these are perennial plants that, with proper care, will delight you for many years. Read more about the varieties and cultivation of garden viola.