Distinctive features, types and cultivation of Pansies in a personal plot, transplantation and reproduction, problems in their cultivation, interesting facts. For a long time, these delicate squat flowers adorned soda plots and flower beds of people's yards, because many flower growers wanted to get a "gentle beauty" that grew along the edges of forests and roadsides. And how could you pass by without admiring the variety of shades and velvety petals of Pansies? It is not surprising that the love that this flower has won is explained by its unassuming ability to simply reproduce.
Pansies, or as they are often called Violet tricolor (Viola tricolor), are a herbaceous plant with a mainly one-year or two-year life cycle (rarely perennial). This representative of the flora is ranked among the species of the same name Violet (Viola), of the same family - Violet (Violaceae). It is settled in a large volume on the territory of European countries, as well as in areas of Asia with a temperate climate, that is, this is practically the entire Northern Hemisphere with similar climatic conditions, this can also include Western Siberia, the Caucasus and the Far East (but there the violet is considered an introduced plant). On the territory of Crimea, this delicate flower grows only in one place - the coastal valleys of the Kacha waterway.
Pansies are grown in culture, but they can also easily run wild and already grow as weeds in fields, landfills, wastelands, on lawns and along roadsides. They can be seen growing on fertile soils of meadows and among bushes, on forest edges illuminated by the sun, on pastures and ancient fallow lands.
What names were given to this "gentle beauty" - Ivan da Marya (but some other plants are also called this way, for example, Maryannik oakravny), as well as moths, brother-and-sister, wild brothers, half-color, axes, tricolor. All of this naturally reflected the structure of the flowers of the Pansies. However, in horticulture, it is customary to call Viola or Vitrokka violet (Viola x wittrockiana) - this is a hybrid form of a plant that is distinguished by larger flowers and their brighter color.
So, in their total mass, these are annuals or biennials with herbaceous outlines. The root of the plant resembles thin rods with little branching, is painted in a brownish tint and grows almost perpendicularly downward into the ground. Usually, a tricolor violet has a branching stem, and has three sides or has pubescence with hairs that bend down, its inside is hollow. Stem sizes reach 10-30 cm in height, some species reach up to 45 cm. At the very beginning, the Pansy bush is compact in outline, but by the end of growth it becomes loose. The root is the ancestor of several stems that stretch vertically upward or bend over to the soil.
The leaf blades are located on the stems in a regular sequence, attached to the shoots with petioles. Their surface is bare, the shape is large-noble, but scattered hairs grow along the veins. The leaves growing below the stem have broad ovate outlines and their petioles are longer than those of the upper leaves. The latter have an elongated lanceolate shape. There are always a pair of stipules on each leaf, they are feathery, lyre-shaped, their length surpasses even the leaf petioles.
The inflorescence that forms in Pansies is frondose, or as they are also called leafy, in them the bracts are quite developed. Their appearance is similar to a brush. The flowers of this violet are characterized by zygomorphism (that is, they are irregular, asymmetrical and only one vertical plane of symmetry can be drawn through their surface). Peduncles on which flowers are long, with 3-4 edges, can be bare or slightly pubescent, and their top is bent. They usually grow out of the leaf axils singly, at the top of the flowering stem, very close to the bud, there are a pair of small bracts.
The flower usually reaches 4 cm in diameter. The calyx of the bud with 5 leaves and green color, does not fall. The shape of the corolla is flat and it also has five petals, the color is dominated by the blue color scheme. The upper petals are larger than the middle ones. Their color is dark or light blue-violet, they are bent back and obovate. The middle petals have the same outlines, but lighter in shade. The lowest petal at the base has a whitish or yellowish color and a blunt spur of blue tint. The flower has five stamens, and they are pressed against a single pistil.
After flowering, it is time for the seeds to ripen. The fruitlet is a box, which has a three-sided rounding, and its shape is elongated-ovoid. The surface is bare and there is only one nest inside. The color of the capsule is green and the length reaches 1 cm. The seeds are located in it gradually, they are surrounded by a not fallen calyx, which is divided in the form of three valves. The valves are very similar to boats that are full of seed. Seed color is light yellow or light brown. They are very small, the parameters are less than a millimeter. Seed ripening begins in June. Up to 3 thousand seeds can grow in one box. Their germination capacity does not disappear for two years.
The beauty of the plant is that it blooms very early, in the strip of Russia the buds open already in April days and the flowering process is very abundant. In the course of breeding work, multiple hybrid plants with large flowers have already been obtained, which are more resistant to heat conditions and can release and open buds throughout the summer.
Guide to growing Pansies, planting and care
- Illumination. It is best to plant a tricolor violet in a well-lit place with fertile soil, but with sufficient moisture permeability and drainage. If possible, then you can plant in the openwork shade of taller plants or trees.
- Top dressing for "Anyutka". Fertilizers are best added to the soil in the spring when preparing the soil for planting a plant. Mineral complex preparations are used in which there is nitrogen (it will ensure the growth of green mass in violets) and phosphorus and potassium so that the flowers are large and well-colored. It is categorically not recommended to introduce fresh manure! Initially, the native soils, on which Pansies grew, were forest edges and meadows, and there, although the soil is fertile, it does not differ in "fat content". Compost can be used.
- Selection of a substrate for planting. Most often, it will be necessary to enrich the soil during its spring digging, introducing a purchased mineral soil mixture. The substrate must have sufficient water permeability and be lightweight. If the soil is heavy and wet, the plant will develop root rot.
- Watering violets tricolor. It is necessary to moisten the soil sparingly. Excess moisture can lead to decay. If moistening is carried out every other day, then the next - you will need to loosen the soil around the bush. Then the violet will be able to calmly endure even abnormally high summer temperatures. If there is not enough moisture, then this will immediately be reflected in the decorativeness of the plant - the flower stems spread over the soil surface in order to retain at least some amount of liquid with the help of leaf blades and shoots. The flowers begin to fade and their color fades. All forces are set to survive!
- General care of flowers. If you want to admire the blooming flower bed of axes for a longer time, you will need to regularly remove the fading flowers. Since the root system of the plant is located shallowly, with the arrival of hot days, it is recommended to mulch them with straw or cut grass - this will also contribute to the continuation of flower joy. With the arrival of August, the violet is still blooming and it is better to cut off the seed boxes, this will also continue the flower period for autumn days.
A tricolor violet gets along well with taller spring flowers; plant daffodil and tulip bulbs next to it. Since there are already many hybrid varieties that can withstand heat and frost, you can plant Pansies from spring to autumn.
Blooming bushes of violets decorate flower beds and borders in gardens and parks, and are also used for landscaping balconies, terraces and other outdoor areas.
It is very bad when a winter with little snow falls with very low temperatures. And even more destructive is the spring period, when, as soon as the snow cover melts early and thaws begin, there can be severe frosts at night. Therefore, in the beds with tricolor violets, flower growers recommend holding back the snow mass. But at the same time, if a place with stagnant melt water and located in a lowland, then the plant tolerates such a place of growth with difficulty.
If yellowing of the seed pod is noticed, then it is necessary to collect the seeds, otherwise the fruit may suddenly crack (if the seeds ripen) and all the contents will fall onto the soil.
Self-breeding tips for pansies
The tricolor violet reproduces best with the help of seeds, cuttings or dividing an overgrown bush.
Seed material will need to be sown at the end of winter, but this period depends on when it is necessary for flowers to appear. The soil will need to be fertilized with compost. After 14–21 days, the first shoots appear and after 2–3 weeks they are dived, and at the end of spring, the grown Pansies can be planted in a permanent place in the open ground. The distance between young violets is kept at a level of 20–25 cm from each other. If sowing is carried out in the summer, then this is done so that the violet develops well before the autumn frosts, but does not bloom.
If a decision is made to propagate flowers using cuttings, then it will be necessary to cut green twigs with 2-3 nodes from the bushes of the plant in late spring and early summer. They are immediately planted in the substrate, the place is selected with an openwork shadow, and the cuttings are placed at a distance of half a centimeter from each other. Planting depth is approximately 1 cm (from the cut to the first lower node). Then the soil is moistened and sprayed. When 3-4 weeks have passed on the shoots roots grow, you can transplant to a permanent place of growth - on a flower bed or in a balcony box. This method will help rejuvenate the plant. If the planting takes place in the summer, then the violet will bloom in the fall, and if at a later time, then Pansy flowers can be expected next spring.
When you have a perennial tricolor violet growing, you can divide the overgrown bush. This takes place during the early spring period. The plant should be at least 3-4 years old, since every year its flowering decreases, it grows worse and gradually begins to degenerate. The old violet bush will need to be dug out, carefully divided into several parts and planted in the dug holes with prepared soil, thoroughly moistened and sprayed.
Difficulties in Cultivating Pansies
The plant differs in that it is practically not susceptible to damage by harmful insects. However, red spider mites may appear during too hot days. In this case, a soap or oil solution is taken, and all the bushes are sprayed. If these funds do not help, then they are treated with insecticidal preparations.
The main problem when growing a tricolor violet is the larvae of various insects that live in the soil. If, for example, we talk about the larvae of the May beetle, then they will be able to destroy several adult bushes over the summer. May be harmful to scoops or aphids. To combat them, they resort to processing with special chemicals (for example, "Decis").
Powdery mildew, gray rot or leaf spot can annoy Pansies - all these troubles occur due to violations of cultivation rules. For treatment, fungicides are used.
Interesting Pansy Facts
Since ancient times in Russia, it was believed that the tricolor violet is not suitable for growing in the garden, since these flowers were used to decorate graves in cemeteries, that is, these flowers are not for the living. In the vastness of England there is a belief that if the day is clear and sunny, picking a bunch of Pansies can cause rain. And also, if a young man was embarrassed to explain his feelings to a girl, then he sent the chosen one a dried flower of a half-color and wrote his name.
They loved to use this plant in the old days for love spells, believing that if you sprinkle the juice of a tricolor violet on the eyelids of a sleeping person, and then wait until he wakes up, and be the first person he sees, then his love will never disappear. But in France and Poland, it is customary to present a bunch of axes as a keepsake when parting.
There is also a legend about the girl Anyuta, who often went out on the road, waiting for her lover from the war, but, alas, he never returned and from grief she turned into a delicate roadside flower. Pansies are also used for medicinal purposes, with their help they cure cough, scrofula and even toothache. To prepare a decoction or essential oil, the raw material is the root or the aerial part of the violet.
Traditional drugs based on the triplet are able to cure neuroses, depressive conditions, inflammatory processes of the respiratory and genitourinary systems. Also, applications from the leaves help with skin rashes, psoriasis and eczema.
Types of tricolor violets
- Pansies or Violet tricolor (Viola tricolor). A herbaceous plant. The native area of settlement falls on the countries of Europe and Asia, where a temperate climate prevails.
- Violet Wittrock or its synonym for garden pansies (Viola x wittrokiana). This is a hybrid representative of the Violet family and it includes multiple varieties, the ancestors of which are the tricolor violet (Viola tricolor), the Altai violet (Viola altaica) and the yellow violet (Viola lutea).
Below are some of the hybrids and their features:
- "Snow Maiden", has large snow-white flowers that can reach 6 cm in diameter, the height of the stems reaches 30 cm and almost 30 units of flowers can appear on one bush at the same time.
- "Little Red Riding Hood", distinguished by bright red petals of large flowers with a dark spot in the center.
- "Winter sun", has flowers with a diameter of almost 5 cm, the color of the petals is dark purple and they seem to be velvety in appearance, over time the shade will change to almost black.
- "Violet Spanish Blue" reaches with stems up to 30 cm and bright blue flowers open on them, which reach 12 cm in diameter.
- "Giant Gold" famous for its rich yellow buds with a golden tint, their diameter is 10-11 cm, the height of the flower-bearing stem can be up to 15 cm.
- Ice King possesses white flower petals with a greenish undertone. In the middle there are purple strokes. The size of the diameter of the bud in the opening reaches 8-10 cm.
- "Abendbluth" the variety is very rare with spotty bud petals. On the background of the cherry color, brownish specks are randomly placed.
- Fire King has small flowers, the upper petals of which are cast in purple tones, and the lower ones are yellow. On the bush, the number of flowers approaches 100 units, the peduncle stretches to a height of 20 cm.
For more on pansy care and reproduction, see here:
