New Pansies
Pansies are annuals (or bedding plants), which were developed last century from English native plants called johnny jump-ups. Also known as heartsease, they have very appealing flowers with happy little ‘faces’, but it’s hard to imagine that they’re the ancestors of modern plants. Today’s pansies have larger flowers, and they come in an amazing range of vibrant and flamboyant colours, guaranteed to cheer you up through the long cold winter when the rest of the garden is bare.
Plant details
Common name: Pansy
Botanic name: Viola x wittrockiana
New varieties:
Floriana range
‘Persian Princess’ – purples and creams
‘Turkish Delight’ – flesh colours, warm mauves and purples
‘Au Go Go’ – gold, orange, purple and purple/white
Newports range:
‘Lady Jessie Bradman’ – antique gold shades
‘Tiger Silk’ bronze – gold and cream (BPA autumn release)
‘Scarlet O’Hara’ – scarlet and purples
‘Heirloom’ – chocolate brown and lemon
‘Misty Moon’ – soft blues and yellows
Care:
Grow in a sunny position, with protection from extreme heat. To keep pansies flowering, either pick for use indoors as a cut flower, or remove the spent flowerheads.
Getting started:
Buy in punnets or single pots. Plant in autumn for winter and spring flowers. In cooler climates delay planting until late winter, for a summer flower display. Dig compost and manure into the soil before planting.
Cost and availability
Pansies in the Floriana range are widely available in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia. Punnets of eight, rrp $3.25-$3.75. Bloomer pots, 200mm (8"), cost $7.95-$8.95. For your nearest stockist, phone: Floriana in Victoria on (03) 9798 9155 or 1800 631 679 for other states. Pansies in the Newport range are available from nurseries Australia wide. Punnets, rrp $4.00, bloomers in 100mm (4") pots $2.00. ‘Lady Jessie Bradman’ is being sold to raise funds for women’s and children’s hospitals in each state.