A lot recently I have noticed the more frequent use of pansies in bouquets by flower designers who either have a huge market for flowers or are just growing them.
Though I have seen pansies as lovely plants but I never considered them to be a valuable ingredient for bouquets until a few months ago.
One farm gathered all the species of pansies that will work great as cut flowers and decided to try growing them last winter. That was able to grow about forty different kinds of pansies and violas in total.
What was discovered about the growth of pansies and violas is that pansies pose a more stocky growth habit and they also produce flowers with larger faces, while violas, on the other hand, produce flowers with smaller heads but have a wild growth habit? Both flowers are wonderful to have in a garden and watch grow.
According to the farm owners, the reason for the trial was to find out what pansies and violas have beautiful coloring with stems that are long enough for vigorous plant growth and cutting.
In addition to planting different varieties of pansies and violas, this farm tried two different planting methods to see which method will produce longer stems.
Both violas and pansies can be started from seeds and are easy to grow by first-timers so this farm had a total of 72 cell trays where they started seeds and allowed them to grow undercover.
The other method that was tried was planting seedlings into the Fields just like other flowers grown for cut flowers are normally planted in this farm. The good thing about pansies and violas is that they can withstand cold weather so it’s OK to plant them earlier in the year.
Both planting methods work pretty well and all the flowers grew long enough to be cut easily. The flowers planted in the field had bushier growth and also flowered a little late compared to the ones that were grown undercover.
The flowers that were grown undercover grew a lot taller than their field has grown sisters and because they were closely spaced and well protected from wind they were and to produce more delicate trailing stems than those that were grown in the fields. This is usually the result that shows up with most flowers planted undercover.
Flower stems of those grown undercover are usually about 30 to 50% longer because the plants do not brace themselves against poor weather and wind and they can also stretch towards the sun easily.
It appears that the best way to enjoy posies and violas as cut flowers is to choose the right variety to plant and be patient with them because it takes time for their stems to grow long enough to be cut.
Both posies and violas are also heat tolerant so you can still have beautiful ones during got seasons. All the species that were planted during the trial period grew well enough to produce sufficient stem length but not all of them produced flowers that could be considered good candidates when it comes to arranging.
When it came to the end of the growing season, all the stems that were harvested grew up to 8-12 inches long with a few even growing as long as 15 inches. You have to take some extra care when cutting pansies stem because of how fragile they are.
It is interesting how pansies can last pretty long when in a vase. As the flowers on the lower part of the stem begin to weaken and fade off new ones show up.
Cut pansies can still appear beautiful for up to one week when put in ordinary water and they can last for more than 10 days when placed in water containing flower food.
Furthermore, it seems like pansies planted into soil will always produce healthier stems, but if you have a place where you can grow them undercover you are sure to get longer stems from your flowers.
If you want to plant pansies and you only have space to grow one variety, you should try going with a mix variety instead.
The Rococo Frill Mix of pansies poses a lovely mix of velvet purple, yellow, maroon, and lavender petals and their veining is verifying to fall in love with.
The petals are ruffled and edged like a pigmentation that is quite light and makes them look like laces. These flowers very a light fragrance which is great for people who don’t like harsh smells.
Another mix you can consider is the Aalsmeer King Size Mix which includes cranberry, lavender, gold and bicolor flowers.
They gave distinct faces that make them appear like butterflies. These guys are a wonderful choice and they make very nice additions to bouquets and other flower decorations.
For flowers that lean toward to peach tone you can try Pansy Nature Antique Shades. This flower has a heathy cranberry-rose blooms which fades into a smokey peach and finally to a light apricot.
One other lovely variety that you may be interested in is the Viola Gem Apricot Antique because of its antiqued plum colored blooms that is dusted with gold, which gives them a peach quality. These flowers poses a nice scent and as they grow older they lighten what will appear to be a golden-apricot hue.
If there is anything I look out for when I go for weddings, it’s beautiful flower work. If you want to use pansies for wedding work you should totally try the Pansy Panola Pink Shades.
This flower is one with a sweet mix of blushy purple to purple-mauve. They kind of remind us of orchids because of the dark face and glowing yellow throat that each flower has.
For a more stunning look you can mix them with Viola Gem Pink Antique because they have similarly colored petals.
I am a lover of everything beautiful and usual so I’ll mention the Pansy Frizzle Sizzle Yellow Blue Swirl variety because of its lovely scent and head turning color mix.
The Pansy Frizzle Sizzle Yellow Blue Swirl have frilly edges flowers. As the flowers age they begin to darken and produce a gorgeous mix of gold and smokey lavender-blue and chocolate faces.
If you decide to give violas and pansies a try in certain your garden will become more fun and interesting especially because they are not the followers that are commonly grown.
They are not only very easy to grow, you can plant them in small containers, they are heat and cold tolerant, and when you have a guest you’ll love to give some flowers they can come in handy.
