Viola × wittrockiana

The pansies are ornamental hybrid plants, cultivated for their showy flowers, obtained from the wild species Viola tricolor; although it is sometimes called Viola tricolor hortensis, strictly speaking the correct scientific name for hybrids is Viola × wittrockiana. They belong to the genus of violets, within the violaceous family.

Development of thought

During the 19th century, hobby gardeners all over northern Europe crossed over again and again the wild pansy (V. tricolor) with another native species of violets (V. lutea) and, occasionally, with a Near Eastern species (V. altaica), to produce a more attractive flower pattern. As a result of these intensive crosses during the 1820s-30s, the new varieties became very popular. By 1835, there were already 400 and by 1841 pansy had become the favorite plant.

During the heyday of greenhouse construction in Victorian times (due in large part to the availability and low cost of steel), the attractive flowers so familiar to modern gardeners arose.

Thoughts as cover

Pansies are suitable for planting under shrubs as they act as a natural mulch, inhibiting weed growth.

Uses

These plants begin to flower in spring in northern Europe and the northern United States, in warm climates they do so even in winter. They are often grown alongside alder as they produce a pleasing color combination as their flowers bloom together. Also because of its color and great resistance, it is placed at the entrance of many cities and towns in roundabouts and small rackets. It is perfect if what it is about is decorating flower boxes on balconies, combining for example with petunias and begonias.

Reproduction, life cycle and characteristics

Red Thought.

Yellow-colored Thought.

Violet Thought.

The flowers, which come out singly and are quite large in relation to the same plant (about 6 cm in diameter), have velvety unequal petals much longer than the calyx. The colors are very varied: from gold to white, yellow, red, violet, the softest or most intense blues... variegated in such diverse shades and ranges that they can form a rainbow of colors in the garden. They are biennial plants, which only produce foliage during the first year, giving flowers and seeds the next and then withering like any annual. However, under optimal growing conditions they can become perennial although they have a tendency to develop long stems and spread after a few years. Adult plants reach about 23 cm in height and can even reach 30 cm, although the average is around 20. The stage that corresponds to its flowering is the one that covers the autumn months but continues until well into spring. With the arrival of summer, their appearance will be decayed and withered, the best thing then is to cut them at the lowest part of the stem and we will be able to see the joy of their tones again the following winter.

Risks and precautions

Pansies require nutrient-rich soil for good growth. You should always give them the sun and they need natural lighting. It is necessary to ensure that the land in which they grow is always humid but also pay attention so that the soils do not become flooded. The best time to plant them is autumn using new soil whose nutrients will feed them for about two months. After that time, fertilizer for flowering plants can be added, always following the manufacturer's instructions. This flower is very prone to being attacked by aphids. To avoid this attack, they can be sprayed with homemade insecticide. Another attack on the flower is a fungus called powdery mildew that will cause the plant to turn whitish. If they are colonized by this fungus, it is not worth spending money and effort to acquire fungicide, since it is cheaper to buy new plants. Another danger is that of leaf galls, these galls are produced by the larvae of the violet midge (Dasyneura affinis) that can have 5 generations. Inside each gall you can find up to 25 or 30 pink larvae. Those of the last generation spend the winter inside the gall protected by a cocoon. To combat this, deformed leaves must be removed and burned. This plague, however, can be confused with that of an Eriophid mite, which causes the so-called Erinosis. In this case, the leaves are also rolled up at the edge, but without the characteristic thickening of the gills produced by the bites of mosquito larvae. Millipedes can also sometimes cause damage by gnawing at the roots and lower leaves, cutting the plant at the neck.