|
|
 |
You are > Home > Winter-flowering Pansies
|
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Winter-flowering Pansies
SPRING BEDDING (which is planted this month) has unfortunately become something of a forgotten theme of 'better' gardening.
What a pity when you consider that winter can start at the end of October and it continue to the very last days of spring!
This is a long period so I suggest that once your summer display is cleared, a start could be made with planting a combination of bulbs and hardy bedding plants such as wallflowers, winter pansy, primula, polyanthus, forget-me-not, Sweet Williams or double daisies sold as Bellis perennis. These will provide at least some interest and colour right through to spring.
Plant breeding development over the past few years has produced stunning results and the modern-day winter pansy is a typical example, but if you think that these will turn winter into summer you are going to be disappointed.
Those that have grown them in the past will have found (as I have) that they give a flourish of good bloom in autumn, and a fantastic display from March almost to August, but they make only faltering efforts in between. That is, if you use them in the open garden! But put these in pots, troughs and tubs on a deck, balcony, or patio area will give them a much better chance to avail of whatever light and warming sun the winter days produce.
Or you could try putting half dozen plants of your choice in window boxes where they will have extra protection from excess rain and benefit from the heat of the building itself. A layer of Tete-a-Tete daffodils or any of the other miniature variety should accompany the pansies but put the plants in first, then follow with the bulbs, pushing them down to at least half the depth of the container. A pot by the door would be a tonic to the spirits on the days when one would feel less inclined to wade out into the muddy wastes of the garden.
Use a good brand of compost (Shamrock Seed and Potting) to begin and add a generous amount of horticultural grit to ensure the pansy roots are kept free-draining, dry and comfortable during periods of excess wet and cold. If you don't want to use winter pansies try polyanthus or primulas, forget-me-nots or double daisies. In fact many varieties can be mixed together to give a very full and colourful effect.
Points to remember:
• Along with adding the likes of Glenview horticultural grit to the compost, raise up all containers on clay or plastic 'feet' to allow the drainage layer at the bottom to function efficiently.
• Buy enough pansies (or whatever) and keep the surplus handy. Sometimes a few will look seedy during the darkest days of winter and coaxing them with feeding will not improve their status. Replace from the excess bought and dump the offenders.
• Never grow pansies for consecutive seasons in the same container compost or on the same patch of ground. Just like 'rose sickness' (new roses can never be planted where old roses grew) the soil can suffer an outbreak of 'pansy sickness'
• Winter pansies will look very good during spring but when early June comes around it would be better to replace them with summer bedding.
Main News Page
Previous Page
|
|
|
|
