PANSY BALLERINA MIXED

‘Can Can’ was introduced as the first Italian bred ruffled Pansy many years ago and today, its’ refined cousin, ‘Ballerina’, is gracing the stage with frilled and ruffled flowers in a delightful array of stylish colours ranging from peach, pink, through ‘mid blue’ and on into burnished copper, many with a picotee edge too. Perfect for pots and containers and with the ability to flower for weeks on end, we predict this new mixture will enjoy many an encore. 8”. HHA.

Pansies, often confused with violas and violets, are derived from our native wild heartsease and the mountain pansy, which occurs in many forms all over Europe. Pansies are ideal for short-term displays in beds, baskets or containers.

Pansies are fairly straight-forward to raise from seed. For autumn planting out, which will flower the following spring, seed can be sown at any time from May to early July. Sow thinly in trays with a light cover of vermiculite and place in a temperature of 59-65F (15-18C) to germinate. High temperatures and fluctuating moisture levels are the most likely causes of failure. Germination normally takes place between 10 and 14 days.

Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle. The plants can grow on until the September when they will be ready for planting out. For containers and for hanging baskets in particular, planting in early spring is often more successful. In this case a later sowing is suitable, August or September, after germination the seedlings should be pricked out into 9cm pots and grown on through the winter in a cold frame before planting out in early March. They should only be covered in severe weather.

If you should wish to grow Pansies for summer flowering, sow the seed in March and raise them like summer bedding plants. September sown seeds will quite easily flower just before the winter or if sown in late July will positively be in flower for winter baskets.