Polar bear pansies

Sunset, Feb, 1998 by Jim McCausland

If you judged pansies only by their velvety, tissue-thin flowers, you might assume they were, well, pansies. The delicate-looking blooms belie the plant's tough, frost-resistant nature.

Just how much cold can a pansy stand? At Territorial Seeds's trial grounds in Oregon, several varieties of pansies endured 6 [degrees] during one cold snap; all recovered and rebloomed.

Although most pansy series and mixes on the market can survive freezing temperatures, a few groups have distinguished themselves in recent winter trials. The Accord blotch and clear mixes, the Atlas mix, the Clear Sky series, the Rally mix, the Ultima series, and the Universal Plus blotch and clear mixes all performed well above average in the trials conducted by Allan Armitage, professor of horticulture at the University of Georgia. "In general, smaller-flowered pansies do better [in winter cold] than large-flowered kinds like Majestic Giants, which get beat up in bad weather and don't recover quickly," says Armitage. Individual pansies that did well in the trials are listed in the box at left.

CHOOSE FACES, CLEAR COLORS, OR TINTED SHADES

Pansies (Viola wittrockiana) were originally hybridized to get bigger flowers with faces (blotched). Over the years, many clear (unblotched) pansies have also been developed; Clear Sky is a current example. Many popular kinds, including Delta and Universal Plus, come in both clear and blotched forms. You'll also find tinted and bicolored flowers, including the so-called antique shades seen in the Imperial strain.

Clear pansies should be your first choice for massing in beds, where their solid colors have more impact than blotched varieties. Pansies with faces are best seen up close - in pots or window boxes - to appreciate their markings.

WHAT PLANTS NEED TO THRIVE

Pansies are usually sold in flower, having been forced into bloom in a commercial greenhouse. They'll continue growing, budding, and flowering if your soil temperature is at least 45 [degrees]. If it's much cooler than that, pansies just sit and wait for warmer weather.

They prefer at least a half-day of sun, except in hot climates (see below). Pansies benefit from good nutrition: Before planting, amend the bed with two 1-cubic-foot sacks of well-rotted manure per square yard of soil. Once bloom starts, feed plants every two weeks with a half-strength solution of liquid fertilizer. Keep plants well watered. Pinch off fading blooms and leggy stems.

During cold weather, you can speed flower development by covering plants with cloches or floating row covers.

In the West's colder climates, buy plants in 4-inch pots, since mature pansies will become established and bloom sooner than seedlings. In hot climates, set pansies in filtered shade, and choose strains like Maxim or Universal Plus, which tolerate both heat and cold.

Pansies are technically short-lived perennials. But because they bloom most vigorously in their first year, many gardeners treat them as annuals.

More pansies that shine in winter cold

In trials over two successive winters, Allan Armitage evaluated more than 150 varieties of pansies and mixes from 22 series. Plants were exposed to minimum temperatures of 10 [degrees] for different lengths of time. In addition to the groups named above, these pansies turned in outstanding individual performances: Bingo (yellow, blotched light rose), Delta (yellow, blotched violet), Fama (blue, white, lilac, orange, silver-blue), Glory (bicolored blue 'Glory Beaconsfield', blue, sherbet, and blotched forms of rose, white, yellow), Happy Face (yellow), Imperial (purple-and-yellow), Maxim (blue, orange, yellow, red-and-yellow), bicolored blue 'Paramount Beaconsfield', and Skyline (white-and-purple).