Pansy six packs in pansy, panola and viola varieties are here and ready to provide color all through the winter. There’s nothing like a pick-me-up on a gray winter day than to look outside and see those happy little faces almost smiling back at you. Even if your summer annuals made it through the heat and dry conditions, it’s time for them to go on the compost heap and plant winter annuals to allow them time to root well before the cold temperatures. When setting out pansies in small groups for pops of color use 3, 5, or 7 plants, any odd number, in a zigzag pattern. An easy way to remember how far apart to plant is to spread out your fingers wide and use the length between the tips of your thumb and little finger. A small fist full of blood and bone meal added to the hole and a top dressing of timed-release fertilizer will feed them through most of the winter. They will need to be fed again in February for that burst of spring color through March and then they are ripped out and summer annuals are planted. Cool Wave pansies available in 4.5” individual containers are the pansy variety that spreads to eighteen to twenty-four inches where the regular pansies are more upright and only spread eight to ten inches. For a mass of color tumbling over a container or hanging basket try the Cool Wave, in beds they can spread and cover an area in record time. These are the pansy counterpart to Wave Petunias and if you love them, you will love the Cool Wave pansies. Fertilize as listed above for regular pansies.
Till next time,
Vicki
