Here at Fairview, we grow pansies as a cool season garden annual. We are proud of the fact that we grow over 100 different varieties. We love them for their wide range of colors and the ease in which they perform beautifully from fall until spring.

History
Pansy comes from a french word for thought or memories. The common pansy’s scientific name is Viola x wittrockia and was named after Professor Brecher Wittrock, a Swedish botanist (1839-1914). They are a cross between Greek violets, V. tricolor and V. altacia (from Russia). They have been cultivated in gardens since the 1600’s. Violas have been used in gardens since 400 BC. (from Viola cornuta). They were cultivated commercially by the Greeks. Now pansies and violas probably have the largest color selection of any cultivated annual!

Growth Requirements
Pansies like it cool because of their alpine origins. If the weather gets too warm, the Pansies will not perform as well. They need well-drained soil that is humus rich. They need regular watering. Mulching will help to retain moisture. Plant with a slow release fertilizer such as Fertilome Premium Pansy Food at about 6 - 10 inches apart. Water them in well at planting. To keep them blooming after a hard freeze cover them lightly with pine straw and remove after freeze.

Fragrance
One quality of interest to gardeners is fragrance. Some pansies have a delicate perfume-like aroma. Once you have smelled and identified the pansy scent, it is unforgettable, but it is not always easy to perceive. Pansies seem to exude more fragrance at early morning and at dusk than any other time. The yellow and blue pansies seem to have the strongest scent.

2009 Varieties
Pansies: Colossus, Delta, Majestic Giants, Matrix, Pandora, Ultima, Dynamite, Imperial, Mammoth

Snaps: Montego, Sonnet

Violas: Enduro, Penny, Rocky, Sorbet, Sun Devil