Favourite Plants AtoZ: Pansy

Many of us rush to the garden centre in late March in search of Pansies on sale. They are a hardy flower that add colour to our dreary early days of Spring! Often treated like annuals, Pansies are available in multiple shades of purple, yellow, white and blue; mixed colour leaves, or full flower colour. You can easily by them ready to go in a planter, or by the flat to assemble your own creation. Pansies are part of the viola family,and depending on who’s talking they can be defined as an annual, biennial or, perennial. They are the first available plant that you can dig into the soil to mix in with the early tulips! You can find pansies growing all season long, as the can last a full season, sometimes from self seeding.  I would recommend Pansies for a children’s garden; the seeds start early, and do well so the kids see their hard work quickly! The petals of a pansy flower are also edible, and they can really brighten up a salad and add Vitamin A and C! We often start our customers early planters with bright shades of pansies from April to May to add colour while all the other flowers are getting ready to bloom around them!