Gorgeous pansies: sowing seeds, transplanting outdoors, care and pests
Pansies, which are known under the elegant name viola or under the academic name - violet Vitrokka, will help to create a multi-colored velvet carpet in your corner of paradise. The traditional colors of this culture are purple and yellow. Over time, breeders have developed about 200 varieties with stunning shades. So the garden violet became a lush blooming and beautiful decoration of the garden.
Flower characteristic
The shades of the petals are so rich that even in the photo pansies look incomparable. You can see this beauty in early spring, when it gets warmer. Some varieties are pleasing to the eye throughout the summer, because they can easily tolerate hot weather. Others feel great in the velvet season, as they even withstand frost. Among other things, varieties were bred that are resistant to low temperatures. All this variety is classified as follows.
Frost resistance
These plants can bloom even at the end of February. Low temperatures in the morning or light frost will not spoil the delicate flowers. Gardeners carefully select winter-hardy specimens for their summer cottage. These varieties mainly include:
- Mars (with an ultramarine hue);
- Helios (like gold);
- Himmelskenigin (color of blue sky);
- Station wagon (more than 10 sub-grades);
- Jupiter (mixture of white and purple);
- Nodrpol (snow-white beauty).
All winter-hardy varieties are characterized by a compact size of a shrub (flower diameter reaches 6 cm). Some varieties of this viola produce abundant blooms. It is they who delight the owners with their charm for a long time.
Flower size and shape
They come in small caliber: 3-5 cm (Snow Maiden, blue boy and little red riding hood). The buds bloom from small sinuses. Pansy flowers are solitary, but together they make up a gorgeous look. Such giant varieties look especially luxurious:
- golden yellow;
- Majestic Jainst or super;
- white;
- Magnum;
- blue.
The peduncle of such titans reaches 10-12 cm in length, and the diameter of the flower is more than 7 cm. They can be monochromatic, as well as with exquisite spots or patterns. Among the large-leaved varieties, the most popular are:
- Jupiter;
- Ultima;
- Magic Martha (black);
- Fancy;
- Heavenly Queen (blue);
- Dynamite (heat makes the color lighter, and cold makes it brighter);
- Ice King (purple).
The length of the branched stem is 10 cm, and the diameter of the flowers does not exceed 5 cm. The delicate petals of the tricolor violet have both smooth edges and wavy (serrated). The crimped petals of the Flamenco, Chalon Supreme and Rococo varieties have an exotic look, as well as an unusual variegated color (shaded color in the center).
Color spectrum
The palette of Vitrokka violets is striking in its variety. Tricolor specimens in dark shades of blue, purple and red look unusually on the flower bed. Violas, snow-white with a greenish tint, will become a breathtaking property of the garden.At the same time, the blue, lilac, yellow and burgundy (with bizarre spots) exhibits will add a touch of romance to the suburban area. Varieties with contrasting stripes, borders and incomparable eyes look special near the house. Such a colorful description of pansies is endless, because it is difficult to see all 250 varieties at once.
Bush height
Low-growing crops reach 15 cm in height, and giants - up to 30 cm. In diameter, a viola bush can grow from 6 to 12 cm. Since this plant perfectly tolerates shaded areas, it can be safely grown in a garden between trees.
The flowering period can be artificially extended. To do this, it is necessary to constantly remove the wilting flowers, preventing them from turning into seed bolls.
Flowering period
As already noted, pansies are able to delight with their stunning flowering in the season of the year desired for the owners. So it can:
- March or April;
- summer months (withstand heat and drought);
- the autumn period (snowfalls and a drop in temperature are calmly tolerated).
Therefore, the garden violet can be transplanted into pots (plastic boxes) and decorate balconies, house facades, loggias, and windows with them. To do this, you need to periodically loosen the ground and water the plants.
It is important to ensure that the soil is not wet for a long time, because the roots can begin to rot.
Planting Secrets
The first step is to choose a variety and a suitable place for it on the site. Many housewives prefer large-caliber varieties. Single-flowered specimens look amazing in a flower bed surrounded by other flowers. However, as experience shows, it is the violas with small petals that are the most hardy. Such crops survive both in the rainy season and with sudden changes in temperature. Therefore, in the northern regions it is better to plant small-flowered varieties, because in the southern latitudes the inflorescences become smaller. The same applies to giant varieties if they grow for long periods in hot and dry climates.
It is better to plant a crop in an open area. Access to heat and direct rays should be at least 5-7 hours per day. It is worth watering the flower beds once a week. Depending on the weather, you can do it twice.
Landing place
It is important to consider that pansies are perennials and annuals. This means that they are bred for both one year and two or three. The growth period largely depends on the labor that the gardener is willing to invest in these garden exhibits, and processing technologies. It was noticed that if you feed the soil with fertilizers, at least once a week, then the stem grows faster, and the inflorescences become more magnificent. Favorable conditions for planting and caring for pansies will be the following parameters:
- Soil type. Dry soil mixed with sand or stones is not suitable for viola. The soil should be fertilized in order to saturate the young roots with nutrients. It must contain enough moisture.
- Shading degree... It is important to find a middle ground here. A thick shadow will lead to the degeneration of the plant, and the scorching sun will destroy it.
- Good care. Takes care of the regular watering of the sprouts. Around the rhizome (at a distance of 2-3 cm) it is worth doing mulch from leaves or dried grass. From time to time you need to pluck spoiled stems or petals.
When an amateur gardener has decided on a place and has chosen a suitable variety, then you can start the sowing process. There are several ways to do this.
Boarding time
The first option is to grow pansies yourself from seeds. When to plant depends on the period in which the grower wants to get a flourishing crop. These varieties germinate well at temperatures of 16-18 ° C. So, if you sow seeds in a container in winter (at the end of January), then after 2-3 months the seedlings can be transplanted into the soil. At the same time, it is important to correctly calculate the date of the last frost in advance. You can see what time they were last year, and from that date you can count 3 months.This will be the date of the dive into the open ground, only next year.
Those who plan to see this beauty in their garden in the fall should be sowed during July. Then by September, when the heat subsides, the sprouts will be ready to be transplanted into the ground.
Perennial crops can be sown directly outdoors in mid-summer. However, the sun can scorch tender sprouts, so they should be covered with greenery, but so that there is no greenhouse. By the end of August, the seedlings should get stronger in order to successfully survive the winter. To do this, they need to be watered every 7 days and fertilize the soil, alternating mineral and organic fertilizing. At the end of summer, the sprouts are transplanted to another place. At the same time, it is important not to let them bloom, because this will deplete the plant before wintering. As a result, in the spring you can take a lovely photo of pansy flowers and enjoy their delicate fragrance.
Landing nuances
Garden viols, although not very picky flowers, still require special treatment. When sowing seeds, you must follow a number of simple rules:
- loosen and slightly moisten the soil;
- mix seeds with sand so as not to sow too thick;
- it is not recommended to bury the seeds deeply in the ground;
- they need to be watered with a watering can with a fine strainer so as not to wash off the seed with water;
- store the tray for the first week in a dark place;
- then it is important to place the container in a more illuminated room;
- periodically, a box with seedlings that are already 25 days old is taken out into fresh air (at a temperature of + 6 ° C) to harden the sprouts.
When transplanting seedlings into open ground, it is important to adhere to a special system. You need to dive the culture in early May. And literally in 3-4 weeks inflorescences will appear. It is recommended to transplant tubers in the evening, when it is cool and there is no sun. They should be planted at a distance of 25 cm, because they are able to grow. If forecasters promise frosts, then the beds should be covered with straw.
Strong winds can damage the plant. Therefore, it is important to make a protective fence for the flower bed with viola.
Care and protection against pests
Pansies will bloom wildly with proper care and conditions. A winter without snow is a destructive factor for plants. Therefore, it is advised to cover the beds with mulch and a special tarpaulin. Among other things, it is important to keep an eye on the following:
- The soil should always be soft and moist. Therefore, the soil must be constantly loosened. Moisten the soil only after it is completely dry.
- Feed with fertilizer. You cannot do this with fresh manure. It is better to use humus in a proportion of 5 kg per sq. m or compost.
- The place should be well ventilated.
- Make a box hut to protect from direct rays.
- Defective shoots should be pinched off immediately.
- Remove dried leaves.
These simple rules promote the lush bloom of the viola. Yet pests are a danger to her. These can be such manifestations:
- Stem and root rot.
- Ticks, slugs, and scoops. If small holes appear on the leaves, then this is their job. Such pests can be collected manually or treated with a special tool.
- Aphid... The first signs are dry leaves and buds, as well as sticky discharge. The soap solution will kill aphids.
- Yellow and brown spotting. This is the action of harmful bacteria. Copper oxychloride eliminates the pest.
- White bloom or powdery mildew... Treat the bush with any fungicide.
This plant is not really whimsical. Therefore, pests and diseases almost in rare cases interfere with the growing season, as well as the lush flowering of the crop. As a result, you can always enjoy the beauty of pansies.