Violets, Violas, and Pansies

November 2006

People in this region plant violets, violas, and pansies at this, the same time of year we plant bulbs: October and November. Then we cross our fingers for luck for we know a hard cold winter will probably kill them. Of course, if it is a very, very MILD season, they will bloom cheerily all winter even if they are peeking out from under a short lived blanket of snow.

With winters in between those extremes, even though the tops die away, the roots are not killed. Come spring, they have a head start and are up and blooming quicker than those that are not planted until spring arrives. Perhaps that is how the viola Johnny-Jump-Up got its name.

Tough little things, this group of plants can take quite a bit of bad weather. Snow and ice make them look poorly, but they bounce right back. It is the heat that kills them. So, once spring turns very warm, they dwindle away.

Until then, they bloom away - especially if they are deadheaded. A knowledgeable person once told me to take out the whole stem when I deadhead them. Otherwise, she said, the plant will keep trying to send sap to the blossom that is no longer there. Well, I must say, that is extremely low-to-the-ground (and painful for me) work which I rarely get done.



So most of the time my pansies, violets, and violas go to seed. But, they seem to bloom plenty long enough, disappearing into the next wave of spring's blooming plants, and occasionally, we get babies from the fallen seeds.





Last autumn (2005) a small area of the back border was planted with white pansies so we could see them from the kitchen's back window. We chose white because it is the easiest to see from a distance. Of course, a few of the ubiquitous dandelions pop up. Oh, well, yellow is the second most easily seen color from a distance.

Continuing on the subject of colors viewed from a distance: easiest seen is white; next is yellow; followed by orange, then red, then violet - poor blue fades away into the atmosphere.


Therefore, the blue violas were planted either side the Garden Door and were the ones enjoyed the most. They were outstandingly bright, cheery, and charming all winter.

Over all, the pansies and violas were so successful, we are repeating that again this year.

One new problem has occurred: The white pansies' blossoms must be delicious; they have been eaten completely away by something. It could be slugs, snails, sow bugs, or something similar. I have spread diatomaceous earth around the plants in hopes of stopping the damage. For me, this is a new thing to try, so will have to wait and report on results in a later posting. I chose this method over the beer bait method - time will tell if it is as good or better.

LATER...
Post Script: April 29, 2007

The diatomaceous earth worked very well. We now have pansies with white blooms instead of bare stems. I am pleased with the results.

Diatomaceous earth is fine as baby powder, but is actually ground up fossilized remains of one-cell plants called diatoms. Diatoms have a hard outer shell high in sharp, glass-like silica, which can irritate or even puncture the exterior of offending insects, larvae, or other pests such as slugs. It is a natural material mined from the earth. However, one should always be careful and avoid breathing dust of any kind.

Diatomaceous earth has many uses; some may surprise you - from toothpaste to paprika. For more information here is another link:
What is Diatomaceous Earth?


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