Annual flowers for a summer residence: pansies – planting and care

Recommendation points

• Features of the structure and varieties of garden pansies
• Planting flowers
• Reproduction
• Seed propagation in a warm room
• Seed propagation in the open field
• Reproduction of pansies by cuttings
• Plant care
• Diseases and pests
• Viola medicinal properties

A small annual flower – tricolor violet – with the help of breeders, over time, has become one of the favorite representatives of landscape design – viola or pansies. Observing simple agricultural techniques for planting and care, you can grow a bright “chintz” carpet in the country..

Features of the structure and varieties of garden pansies

Viola is an annual or biennial herb belonging to the violet family. Usually their height is from 10 to 40 cm. The root system is pivotal, its color is brownish. Viola stems are erect, branched or simple. Leaves alternate with pinnate stipules. Flowers – with two bracts, single, on long pedicels, five-membered. The fruit is a capsule, which cracks during ripening, opening into three leaves.

The garden pansy violet was bred by breeders from the tricolor violet. The modern classification divides these flowers into 3 groups..

1st group– winter varieties of viola. These varieties bloom first, with a diameter of 5–7 cm. New varieties in this group have a diameter of up to 9 cm.

Hemalis: Nordpol – white; Helios – yellow; Padparadscha – orange

2nd group– these are larger-flowered varieties (up to 10 cm in diameter). They bloom two weeks later than the previous ones..

Quedlinburger Riesen

Trimardo

Red wine

Dynamite Pink

3rd group. This group represents the latest advances in viola breeding. These are gigantic Swiss orchid varieties. Varieties with wavy edges look original, which create the impression of a double flower. More and more ampelous varieties of pansies appear on sale.

Rococo Magnum

Yellow Blotch

To obtain guaranteed abundant flowering, it is better to use varieties of the first and second groups. Some varieties of the third group have yet to adapt to the habitat in order to maintain their characteristics..

Planting flowers

Before planting mature seedlings, it is necessary to prepare the soil. Viola, with her unpretentiousness, still does not like dense soil and is sensitive to feeding. Therefore, it is advisable to add a little ash (about 1/5 part to 1 part of the earth) or crushed coal, as well as ripe manure (about 1/5 part) to the loose soil. If there is decomposed compost, it can also be added. The ideal mixture for violets is made from soil (2 parts), ripe manure (2 parts), peat (2 parts) and sand (1 part).

All this must be thoroughly mixed, the surface must be leveled. If the lawn assumes a strict design by grade, marking is carried out according to the design drawing using a peg and a rope. After that, you can start planting seedlings..

A small hole is made in the ground taking into account the convenient location of the roots of the plant, a viola bush is placed in the middle, the roots are carefully covered with earth. The soil around the young plant must be slightly compacted for stability and be sure to water.

Reproduction

Seed propagation in a warm room

If you want to get a blooming carpet of pansies in the spring, you need to sow the seeds in late February or early March (central Russia). To get stronger seedlings, you can soak them in a solution of zircon or epin before planting seeds. These are biostimulants of growth and resistance to the negative effects of the external environment, including pests.

The size of the seedling container (growing ditch or low pot) is selected in accordance with the number of seeds. Filling the growth chamber with soil should be done with compaction at the corners and at the base of the vessel, not reaching the upper edge of 5–10 mm. The composition of the soil for seedlings can be taken in the proportions indicated above or you can buy a ready-made mixture for violets. In this case, the soil must be moistened before planting..

Viola seeds are small enough, so they are sown randomly. Further, the sown seeds are slightly pressed into the soil surface. On top it is necessary to pour a thin layer of crushed soil mixture (5 mm) and water gently, without exposing the seeds. In order not to forget about the planted varieties of viola, you can attach a label to the container.

Before the first shoots appear, the temperature in the room should be approximately +20 ° C. After germination of seedlings, the air temperature should already be lower (+13 … + 17 ° С). Before picking seedlings, fertilizing is carried out with fertilizers containing potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus.

When 2 leaves appear on the sprouts, you can pick. For viola seedlings, cassettes are selected with a diameter of less than 70 mm. The air temperature for sprouts at this stage should be reduced to +12 ° C. It is better to plant ready-made seedlings when the outside air temperature does not drop below + 10 ° C and the soil warms up enough so that the plant does not experience stress and takes root well.

Seed propagation in the open field

Sowing viola seeds in open ground is carried out in July (middle zone of Russia). To do this, you can use your pansy seeds growing on the site. Collect only whitened boxes. They will be placed in a shallow container and covered loosely (for air access) with a lid, since when the boxes are opened, the seeds fly away.

The soil is prepared in the same way as described above for planting plants. Seeds are best planted in shallow (approx. 5 mm) grooves. You need to try to sow not too thick for better seedling development. From above, the seeds are covered with a thin layer of crushed soil mixture and must be watered.

After a week, the first shoots will begin to appear. Seedlings are planted in a permanent place in autumn or spring. It depends on the readiness of the lawn. Viola bushes grown in the open field are much stronger, bloom faster and are distinguished by abundant flowering.

Reproduction of pansies by cuttings

Viola is propagated by cuttings in early summer. For this method, already developed strong plants are suitable. Shoots with 2-3 nodes are cut off and planted in a darkened area. When planting, cuttings are placed close to each other to a depth of 5 mm. The soil should be moist and the plants should be sprayed immediately after planting. Next, such seedlings are covered with damp paper, which is periodically sprayed with water..

This type of reproduction of pansies involves daily spraying and periodic fertilization (1 time in 10 days). A month later, you can see the result, the cuttings have their own root system.

Plant care

Viola loves slightly acidic, breathable and mineral-rich soils. In addition, it is photophilous and does not tolerate the neighborhood of weeds. It follows from this and caring for her.

Periodic weeding, fertilizing with mineral fertilizers, loosening and watering will create all the conditions for its abundant flowering all season until late autumn. A natural sowing of seeds occurs around the adult plant during the summer. Over time, they grow and can give new seedlings. To protect them from winter frosts, it is necessary to cover viola bushes with spruce branches or fallen leaves. Then without much difficulty for the new season we will get strong seedlings..

At the end of summer, the viola flowers begin to shrink, the stems stretch out, and the pansy bushes lose their attractive appearance. Therefore, long stems can be cut. Soon, new leaves will grow on the bush and the viola, having renewed itself, will again delight us with large flowers. So we will also give light access to the emerging seedlings of natural sowing.

Diseases and pests

Compliance with the basic rules of agricultural technology will protect plants from the effects of pests and diseases. But still, pansies are sometimes affected by fungal diseases: ascochitis, powdery mildew, septoria, cucumber mosaic, root and stem rot, etc. One of the prevention of diseases of pansies is a periodic change of planting site.

Insect pests for viola are: spider mites, scoops, leaf gall midge, aphids, slugs, snails, etc. Large pests can be removed from the plant. Periodic spraying with soapy water will deter many pests..

Now a large number of preparations have been developed to combat plant diseases and pests, which are constantly being updated. With their help, it is possible to carry out both prevention and protection of plants from all kinds of lesions..

Viola medicinal properties

Traditional medicine recommends using the ground part of the viola for medicinal collection. It is used as an expectorant, diuretic, used for skin diseases. The herb infusion is brewed at the rate of 5 g of dry raw materials per glass of water. It is recommended to take 1/2 glass of water 3 times a day. Viola is also added to expectorant and diuretic preparations..

Pansies go well with other undersized flowers. They look beautiful in border stripes, garden flowerpots, on alpine slides, in balcony boxes and flower beds.

The variety of colors gives a huge field for creativity in landscape design.