Re: pansies and violas

Happens that I just wrote an article on this.  I live in Kansas City (zone 6)
 sometimes zone 5.  The article is below, I cut and pasted it and aol converted
 it to a text document, so hope it turns out alright.

I planted them in the fall for the first time a couple of years ago and I
 didn't mulch them either.  They were in raised bed area in front of the house.
 I had some large rocks and I just spread them around to protect them.

They survived 50 below wind chills, ice, etc.  When it would warm up a little
 bit and the sun came out, I'd have blooms in the winter.  The ones I planted
 in the fall lasted until July or August last year.  I ended up pulling them to
 have room for some other things I had planted.

I planted several again last fall and then had some self sow.

 The Perfect Flower....  Almost

by Sandy Adams  
Normally, the walk from school to home took maybe five minutes, ten if
you talked a lot and strolled. Come Spring, this walk expanded to at least
an hour or more. The peat bog  across the street from my elementary
school became alive with violets and buttercups. The resistance to stop
and pick a bouquet was too great for a nineyearold. I never anticipated
getting in trouble when I got home late because I knew mom would love
the handful of flowers I would hand her. My passion for flowers had
begun.The love of violets continued and evolved into a love of pansies. I
 liked
the fact that they provided an impressive and eyecatching display. I love
the violets, but as you know, you have to get right on top of them to see
them.For years, I struggled attempting to grow these beautiful flowers that I
loved so much. The same process repeated itself year after year. Spring
fever hit. Id go to the garden center and buy as many  little ones
 as my
budget could afford that week. Within about six weeks after getting them
planted, they would get leggy and then wither and die. Although 
anticipated, I was still devasted each time this happened and I finally just
gave up.Three years ago, this all changed. Suddenly, I saw signs telling me 
 Fall
Pansies Have Arrived or  Plant Your Pansies Now. In disbelief, I
stopped at the garden center to find out what this was all about. A few
months before I had drooled at the abundance of pansies in Arkansas
because they would  winter over. The lady at the garden center told me
they would winter over here also. I really didnt believe this information
and so I stopped at a few more nurseries.  They all confirmed it. Could
this be true? I still doubted it.I did have to try it though. With two flats
 of pansies on hand, I planted
them in October 1996. The wind was particularly forceful that day. It
happened to be the last decent weather we would have for months. A few
days later the Freak Snowstorm of 1996 arrived in Kansas City. The only
protection my  little ones had were some rocks I had placed around the
garden bed. I discovered snow does indeed make wonderful insulation as
the little faces beamed at me when the sun came out again.Imagine the
 astonishment of my neighbors when they left for work the
morning after our first freeze.   The sight awaiting them  was 72 mini 
greenhouses.  At I:00 a.m. I had been outside covering each of my babies
with a 32ounce plastic cup or a 2liter plastic bottle. After a few cold
nights, I assume the neighbors learned to expect it.Coddling my  little
 ones  continued until Christmas. I was on a mission
and was determined they would survive to bloom again in the spring.
Following a freeze I was not expecting, the perky faces were again
beaming at me and I was elated that they had made it on their own. My
efforts were rewarded. (I even managed to keep a blanket of sweet
allysum beautiful until the unexpected freeze.)The winter weather in January
 and February was especially cold, with windchills as low as 30 to 40 degrees
 below zero. I had coddled and
nurtured them and they would have to survive on their own because I
now had the flu and just couldnt help them any more. To my
astonishment, every time the sun would come out to warm them just a
little bit, I would look out the window and see one or more beaming faces.I
 did not think warm weather and spring would ever really get here.
Finally, as it  does every year, the sun came out and warmed the earth.
My babies flourished and matured. The display of beaming faces the
pansies put on for the world to see was magnificant. The neighbors
marvelled at how they had grown up since October. I was a very proud
mommy.Selecting a favorite is like asking mom to name  her favorite child.  As
you read some names, it is as though you are reading a wonderful desertmenu.
 There is Lemon Chiffon, Blackberry Cream, Blueberry
 Cream,
Coconut, Lavendar Ice, Blue Heaven, Yesterday,
 Today and
Tomorrow which are all hybrid violas in the Sorbet series which I refer
to as minipansies. Most  have performed marvelously this winter and
spring. Coconut hasnt lived up to its potential yet.The Imperials,
 Deltas, Majestics, Maxims, Universal, FAMA, Crystal Bowl,
Impressions, and Bingo have all been successful for me along with tag
no longer in the ground varieties.I found the Bingo series in Michigan
 last fall and brought several sixpacks back. Unique to Bingos is that their
 perky little faces turn up rather
than out. The deep rose color is absolutely exquisite. My favorite is one 
that must have crosspolllinated because it also has a blend of yellow in
with the rose.The soft pastel shades of the Impression and Imperial strains
 are
reminiscent of a Monet painting Their slightly  scalloped edges of the
petals intrigue me. These are also the most popular with the slugs!! As I
 surveyed my various plantings, it was obvious the slugs were
enjoying the pastel shaded flowers more than the ones with more vibrant
colors.  The slugs were ignoring the deep rose pansies until the color had
faded from them. They had not touched the Sorbet series which is
comprised mainly of the more pastel shades.A very striking flower belongs to
 Padparadja. A 1991 AAS Award
Winner. It is a vibrant clear orange named after an orange sapphire . You
cannot help but notice it when you see it. Springtime Black is another
unique flower. I wasnt able to find it last fall or this spring so I
 dont know
how hardy this one is. Add to that combination Jolly Joker and you
 have
an unbeatable combination.Deltra and Crystal Bowl are wonderful plants and
 unique because they
DO NOT have those perky faces and that is exactly what brought them to
my attention. Whatever the color you want, it is a clear color and has a
small yellow eye.
My daughter brought me a flat of various colored blue pansies a couple
of years ago for Mothers Day.  These would not have been my choice.
One night when I stopped to really look at them, I noticed how they
absolutely glow In the dark and have loved them ever since. Beautiful
blue pansies can be found among any of the strains, especially the clear
coloros of the Cystal and Delta strains.Another wonderful attribute of these
 almost perfect flowers is that they
will selfsow if you allow them to. Finding a small plant thriving in the
middle of the yard is a wonder to behold. While I love to collect seeds, I
never quite get around to successfully starting them. Actually, this is
okay, because I cannot leave a store without buying a pansy if there is a
supply on hand.The ones that have over wintered most successfully, are the
 ones I was able to get in a four inch pot rather than the sixpack. This is
 probably due
to the abundance of chipmunks in residence under the side walk
.Now, will someone tell me how to get these beauties through the summer
heat?  If I could do that, they would be the perfect flower.
 

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