Now that winter is officially here, it’s time to focus on an indispensable ally this season for any Southern garden: those hybridized flowers with overlapping petals called pansies. We plant over a thousand of these plants in the gardens at Fearrington each fall, and then remove them each the spring. It's a lot of work, but well worth it.
Two centuries of breeding programs has produced a wide range of flower colors, and we use this profusion to provide a welcome splash of color in the gardens at Fearrington during the winter months. Some gardeners like to remove pansies in the early spring when bulbs and trees start to flower, but we like to incorporate them into our spring beds for added impact, and generally remove them when heat loving perennials take over. They stay through bulb and columbine flowering, and we try our best to match colors, especially with tulips. When it works – and it takes trial and error – the effect of dense, complementary colors is magical.
Pansies can a bit inconsistent and temperamental to grow. They like it sunny in the winter, but not early morning sun that can fry them if they froze from the previous night (got it?). And when warm weather kicks in, they prefer shade. This is one reason we treat pansies as annuals.
Here’s some tips on getting the most from your pansies this winter:
First, in our climate, they will bloom through most of the winter, but they’ll do much better if they’re planted adjacent to masonry like brickwork or stones, since the radiant heat from the sun minimizes soil frost, thereby facilitating root growth.
Second, remember that pansies are good for more than winter color. The flowers are not only edible; some are delicious. Large-flowered pansies, either whole or as separate petals, make quite an impact scattered across salads or placed on cakes and sweet breads. Smaller flowered violas also mix in beautifully with other salad ingredients and pasta toppings. Try garnishing a fruit tart with some Pandora's Box pansies, which come in a mix of warm colors ranging from soft yellows to deep wine purples.
Third, when creatures such as deer and rabbits eat our pansies, we spray the plants with the appropriate repellent made by “I Must Garden”. These deterrents use plant oils in nontoxic bases. So we can still eat the flowers after a rinse.
Along with other winter interest plants like nandinas, hollies like winterberries, Italian arum and hellebores, pansies can be your best friend when it comes to creating a unique vision for your gardens during this cold season.