Winter pansies and violas: How to grow
here pansies are concerned, look for ‘Ultima’ (41 colours), ‘Cats’ (five whiskered colours) and ‘Northern Lights’ (an attractive pastel mix).
When buying plants in flower at this time of year you will be restricted to what your local garden centres have on display. For the best choice, grow your own from seed or seedlings next year.
And what will replace ‘Universal’ pansies? It is ‘Mariposa’, which doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.
How to Grow
Pansy and viola flowers follow the sun - or, on dull days, they follow the best light. Plant them where you look at them with the sun or light behind you - then their flowers will face you.
Winter pansies and violas will thrive in any good soil and appreciate plenty of sunshine. Plant plain-faced types en masse in beds and borders, and bicolours and whiskered types along paths and in containers where you can appreciate the delicacy of their pretty patterns.
Finally, the one thing that helps all pansies and violas give their very best is regular dead-heading. So as soon as the flowers fade, nip them off. Use kitchen scissors or thumb and forefinger.
Good companions
Create instantly colourful containers by choosing pots of dwarf tulips or small-flowered daffodils in bud or in flower at the garden centre and matching them with violas or pansies in just the right shades. Set the boxes and pots side-by-side before you buy so you can see how they look.
White violas can be slipped into almost any gaps where you need a little brightness, the colour never clashes. Choose appropriate colours to tuck around dwarf shrubs and conifers, hellebores, bergenias, winter arums, lamiums, and they make splendid companions for the shorter bulbs.
Where to see
The RHS trial at Wisley (0845 260 9000; www.rhs.org.uk) is on the Portsmouth Field; it will be worth a look at any time over the next few months. Winter opening hours are 10am-4.30 pm Mon-Fri and 9am-4.30 pm Sat and Sun.
Reader offer
Grow your own winter pansies next year with this four-packet seed offer. One packet each of pansies ‘Cats Mixed’ F1, ‘Mariposa Peach Shades’ F1, ‘Mariposa Primrose Shades’ F1 and the viola ‘Sorbet Peach Frost’ F1 costs %26pound;8.95 inc p%26amp;p, or buy a double collection for %26pound;12.90.
Call 0870 950 5926, quoting ref.TL443, or send cheques made payable to Telegraph Garden to Pansy Offer, Mr. Fothergill’s Seeds, Rookery Farm, Joys Bank, Holbeach St Johns, Spalding, PE12 8SG. Delivery within 28 days.
Tags: amp, containers, daffodils, plants, seedlings, shrub, shrubs, soil, sunshine
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