Pansies
Description. This plant is also often called viola, and their scientific name is Vitrokka violet. Numerous varieties of large-flowered violet, , which is a complex hybrid obtained in the course of long-term selection work, are widespread in the culture. Pansies - a strongly branching plant of a compact or semilattice shape, 15-40 cm high. Flowers large, repeating the shape of a violet, up to 7 cm in diameter, single, formed in the axils of leaves. Coloring corolla varied: white, yellow, blue, blue, orange, wine-red, monophonic or with different strokes and spots. Flowering from the earliest spring to the middle of summer. Many modern hybrids have the ability to bloom throughout the summer.
Widely used for floral decoration - planted in prefabricated flower gardens and on the factory in groups or as a curb plant, in boxes on balconies and windows, street vases. Apply for framing plantings of
tulips, narcissuses, in combination with other early-flowering biennials - daisies and forget-me-nots.
Pansies can be grown as soil-cover plants under bushes and in the trunks of fruit trees in orchards, spots on the lawn, they look good on rocky slides, on flower beds. Fragrant varieties are good in small spring bouquets.
Varieties of pansies
Flowers large single-color or bicolour with an eye, but without spots on the petals. Doctor Faust ( flowers almost black, velvety), Aureapura ( yellow), Beaconsfield ( light blue), Albipura ( white).
Group 2
The flowers are extremely large on a short stiff pedicel, the two lower petals are convex, each with one dark spot with a light edging.
Adonis ( flowers blue), Cardinal ( flowers are red).
Group 3
All petals have spots.
Group 4
The flowers are brightly colored, marbled, striped or flecked, depending on the type of pattern on the petals.
Group 5
Large flowers with corrugated or undulating edges of petals.
Special attention deserves improved varieties of orchid color pansies with clearly asymmetric flowers, distinguished by large convex petals of even tone without spots with a gentle light color.
Cultivation and care. Pansies pre-calculate sunny places, but suffer a slight shading. However, in the penumbra, the color of the flowers fades and the bloom is not very abundant. Plants are frost-resistant, moisture-loving, grow well on loose fertile loamy soil. But in the lowered plots the seedlings suffer from soaking. When there is a lack of moisture, the flowers are melted and the flowering stops. Therefore, for good development of plants, watering during dry season is recommended, as well as top dressing with complex mineral fertilizers containing nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and trace elements.
Propagation by seeds, for early flowering, sowing is carried out at the end of June - beginning of July, after 2-3 weeks - picking, at the end of August - planting in place at a distance of 20-25 cm between plants. Sowing must be done in such a way that the plants have managed to develop well, but did not blossom. Landing for the winter is recommended to be covered in order to avoid plant bulging in the spring.
The vegetative method of reproduction of violets - green cuttings in the open ground - is simple, effective and at the same time allows to receive a lot of planting material in one summer. Cuttings take from May to July - in 2-3 hours. All green end shoots with 2-3 knots are suitable. Cut off cuttings root on the beds, located in a shady place. Green cuttings are planted shallowly( 0.5 cm) and tightly - so that one stem contacts another. After planting cuttings are sprayed. After 3-4 weeks, the cuttings develop roots.
In early cuttings( May-June) cuttings bloom in summer or early autumn of the same year;At a later cuttings, abundant flowering occurs in the spring of the following year. Rooted cuttings are transplanted in autumn in a permanent place.
Propagation of violets cuttings rejuvenates plants, does not allow them to grow strongly at the expense of flowering. From one plant in one reception it is possible to receive about 10 cuttings, and for a summer - 30-45.