Fw: pansies and violas

Dear Sandy,
I just loved your pansies story. I've not been a big fan of them, but
have always loved the little "Johnney Jump Ups".  I do have
delightful patch of pansies that are a pretty blue. My father has
always love pansies and has fussed with poor weather to keep them
alive also. But you have "turned me on" to them, with your delightful
story and I will now give them a second look as I rush to the garden
store.

Carleen Rosenlund of Rainier, Oregon -zone 6+
Sweetbriar - Keeper of Sheep & Old Roses
   
----------
> From: SAdamsGARD@aol.com
> To: perennials@mallorn.com
> Subject: Re: pansies and violas
> Date: Friday, July 03, 1998 10:50 AM
> 
> 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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