It’s time for March Madness here at May Dreams Gardens! Generally, when people talk about March Madness they are talking about the NCAA basketball tournament. But I’m talking about pansies and violas! That’s right! Pansies and Violas!
I start to look for pansies and violas in the garden centers as soon as March comes around. Last Friday, I found some at Lowes but I just didn’t like the looks of them. They seemed too pot bound, so I didn’t get them.
So I went looking again today and struck gold (and purple)! I found most of these at a local greenhouse called Court’s Yard and Greenhouse (formerly Boston Greenhouse). The owner raised them all herself and they are some of the biggest pansies I’ve seen for a while. And the colors of the flowers are so clear!
I also picked up some more violas (light purple and yellow) at Lowes because I love the violas, more than the pansies. They are my favorite flower, I think. (I’m always a little relunctant to name a favorite flower, but if you were to force me to name one, I would pick violas.) In the picture above you can see that I’ve planted a pot of mostly pansies with a few violas around the edges and put it by the post. Then up by the steps, I have three shallow pots stuffed with violas.
Below is a tulip shaped concrete planter someone gave me. I crammed three pansies in it.
And this is my window box with pansies and violas. I did not change out the moss but will do that in May when I replant it with summer annuals.
I like pansies and violas too. But here we’re nearing the end of pansy season. Our 80-degree spring days are taking their toll on them.
Oh, we share the same passion for pansies and violas (I always say violets, it this false?). I like them a lot because they look sooooo cute with there little faces.
Hi Carol, your Pansies are so lovely, and the place you have plant it too.
Sigrun
I love pansies here too but it is already too late in my area. That is one disadvantage to living where I do. The spring flowers and bulbs don’t do as well as they do up north.
Carol, I get the feeling you like violas. You know they’re my favorite, (if violas are the same as violets)
Thanks for showing us your Pansies and Violas Carol, they will look great.
Such a cheerful corner. I really like the window box – thank you for brightening up my day!
I just started gardening. My original purpose was to garden some vegetables, but due to some errors, lol I need to plant some flowers. These look absolutely beautiful. I think I will plant some of these. Thanks for the inspiration.
Looks like spring! Aren’t they pretty! I put some in last fall and they’re really starting to perk up…or they were until yesterday’s snow…lol. Well, they’ll recover.
For several years, I planted Johnny Jump Ups in the hope that they would reseed themselves…they never really did. Imagine my shock when I’m over at a neighbor’s (she lives a long diagonal from me)…and she has all these Johnny Jump Ups…that she has never planted!!! (I think they’re mine…lol!!)
Hi Carol, I too love violas for early spring. I’ve got 2 dozen growing under lights in the basement now, waiting for a little warmer weather to come along. Then I’ll pot them up and put them on my steps also. I find it’s very easy to start them from seed and they grow fast. And I can find very unusual colors in the seed catalogues. Violas are nice too because they reseed everywhere which is always a pleasant surprise. Oh yes, violas and violets are from the same family “violaceae”. “Viola tricolor” are Johnny Jump-ups or heartsease. Those mini-pansies that Carol bought today. “Viola riviniana” is the common dog violets that grow wild and are prennial that we commonly associate with the name “violet”. You’re so lucky to be able to be planting now. Have fun, Alyssa
I love them too! I’m itching to get to a nursery (or somewhere!) and buy some.
Your crocuses are looking so fresh and beautiful.
The only thing ‘almost’ blooming here are snowdrops, and at the moment they’re covered, again, by 6″ of snow which fell yesterday (plus a bit more today). Those 2 warm days at the beginning of the past week were a wonderful tease! Can’t wait for more of the same.
Your pansies look so nice…I love the colors. We plant them in the fall for winter color and since we usually have a lot of foggy, dreary winter weather they are just the thing for bright spots in the yard. They do usually hang in there all summer if they get enough water and not too much sun.
I am not overly fond of pansies, but I absolutely love violas. Violas, dianthus, and zinnia are the three workhorses of my garden.
Ever since you posted this I have been looking for pansies or violas. Today I even hit Lowes and they didn’t even have any sorry looking things to plant…but they may be getting them this week. I’m longing to fill a few pots before my girlfriends come over Friday.