The temperatures are getting cooler, the beautiful and bright landscaping of summer has faded away and you’re trying to prepare yourself for big changes in the weather. It’s not exactly beach time, which also means flowers are hardly at their prettiest.
But wait – if you’re into flowers (and who isn’t) and you’re in need of a mood booster, one of the best ways to brighten up the bleakness of impending winter is to grab some pansies & violas and plant away.
Pansies & Violas are now, and have always been, my preferred flower and I’m not alone in that thinking because it’s also arguably the favorite flower the world over. How could you not love the pansy? They come in all kinds of colors, they bloom like crazy and they just seem to be such a happy little flower.
In the South, pansies bloom from fall to spring, giving us lots of vibrant colors and bringing a smile to our faces for months and months – even the dreary, cold ones. In the transition zone of East TN, pansies & violas still dominate the fall, winter, and early spring season from October thru May. We will emphasize that early development in the fall season provides stronger hardiness over the winter season and often a short delay during some of our coldest winter periods, give way to a resurgence of flower and growth again in early spring as winter temps fade away.
While pansies might appear to be a little on the fragile side, you might be surprised to learn that they’re extremely durable and very hardy during cold weather. They’re tough little suckers, thriving even in the dead of winter. Haven’t you ever seen snow on the ground and their colorful blooms sticking right through?
In fact, pansies are typically easy to grow, yet they aren’t all that fond of heat. Stifling heat and humidity, which we can certainly experience throughout the South in the summer, do not suit pansies, which very much prefer cooler temperatures.
To get the most out of your pansies, plant them in full sun to partial shade and make sure they’re fertilized upon planting. Planting up through November is best so that the pansy roots are firmly entrenched before it turns really cold. Make sure too, that you mulch, which helps protect the pansy during extreme weather.
One more thing… did you know that pansies are edible? Yep, they sure are. Both the petals and the leaves are high in vitamins A and C so should the need arise you can munch away on them. First and foremost though, the pansy, also known as a Johnny-jump-up, can brighten anyone’s day – even in November.
