Viola or pansies are very common garden flowers that can be found in almost every garden plot, and they also decorate the balconies of urban residents. Growing a viola is a simple matter, and the seed is cheap, so looking at the recommendations in this article you can diversify the garden collection with the wonderful flowering of pansies.

Viola flowers: types and varieties

And although garden violet, as the viola is also called, combines about 300 different species under its name, the following varieties are usually selected for home and garden cultivation:

  1. Three-colored viola. This species is found as wild-growing, and it can also be used as a background plant for flower beds with groundcover flowers. The height of the bush is 12 - 15 cm, the flower itself shimmers with white, yellow and purple shades. It blooms from April to September, perennial.
  2. Viola Wittroka. This variety is found everywhere and is distinguished by its large flowers of various shades. To create such a hybrid, breeders used about six different violets. The bush reaches a height of about 25 - 35 cm, the buds can reach 11 cm in diameter. This variety is grown both as an ampel plant and as a groundcover.
  3. Horned Viola. This variety grows in one place for many years in a row and at the same time does not lose its decorative effect. The diameter of buds is more modest than Viola Wittroka, only 3-4 cm, but the variety pleases with a variety of colors and resistance to disease.
  4. Viola Sororia. This species is also called moth violet, because against the background of a compactly formed green bush, bluish small flowers look like moths that have sat down to rest. This look looks good in the composition of the alpine hills, can be used in the design of tracks and rabatok.
  5. Viola Williams. The species came from the crossbreeding of horned violets and Wittrock's viola. The color of the species is bright, the flowers are small, perfect for ampel growing.
  6. Fragrant violet. And although this variety is not as decorative as the rest, they grow it mainly because of the aroma, since such violets spread a thick honey smell. But since the flower was originally wild, sometimes without proper supervision it runs wild, and flowering becomes smaller.

Did you know that the extract from the buds of a fragrant viola is used to create perfumes.

Growing viola from seeds

The simplest thing is to grow violets from seeds. If you take perennial varieties, then it is worthwhile to devote time to obtaining the first green spaces once, and then violets will propagate in large quantities on their own, of course, with good care.

Sowing viola seeds for seedlings

Before planting the seeds, it is worth disinfecting them in a solution of biofungicides, because otherwise you can not only get seedlings with a bunch of diseases, but also infect the soil and other garden plants. Despite the fact that the seed is small, and does not require preliminary soaking, it is worth doing the following procedure.

  1. Seeds are laid out on a piece of dense fabric and the fabric is tied in a knot so that a pouch forms.
  2. After that, the seeds can be lowered into the disinfecting solution and after 10 - 12 hours to get such a device. In this case, you do not have to catch seeds throughout the tank.

Planting viola seeds for seedlings will be successful if the following conditions are met:

  • planting tanks must be in sufficient quantity, otherwise there will not be enough space for future sprouts. Seeds are planted at a distance of 1 - 2 cm from each other, this must be taken into account when preparing containers;
  • the ambient temperature for germination of violets should not be lower than 20 C and not higher than 25 C;
  • violets emerge in the dark, so before the first shoots appear, boxes with seedlings are covered with a dark film. But 2 times a day you need to arrange air procedures for future shoots, that is, remove the protective film for half an hour.

Landing technology:

  1. Put the drainage in the crates.
  2. Top up with soil.
  3. Seeding depth 0.5 mm.
  4. After planting, the seeds need to be watered.
  5. After that, sprinkle with dry soil.

It is important that the soil for planting is loose, and it is also useful to add moisture-absorbing granules to it, because the viola does not tolerate over-dried soil.

Departure Dates

In order for violets to please the eye with their flowering at the very beginning of the summer season, seedlings must be dealt with from the beginning of March.

Such an early landing is also due to the fact that planting material can sometimes “sit up” in the ground for up to one month, this happens when the following circumstances occur:

  • seed reserve too deep;
  • heavy soil;
  • old or damaged seeds.

Seedling Care

After a week, the first sprouts will hatch the ground, after which the viola must immediately be rearranged in sunlight or under phytolamps.

  1. After transferring the seedlings to the window, it is not recommended to remove the film immediately. First you need to increase the ventilation intervals, gradually increasing them, and then completely remove the film. If dark material is used, but it is changed with a transparent cloth.
  2. On sunny warm days, it will be useful after the seedlings get stronger to take it outside, so the flowers quickly adapt to transplanting into the open ground.
  3. Water the flowers when the soil dries.

It is important when watering to make sure that the tray for draining the water is empty, because otherwise, root decay may occur. Viola loves moisture, but does not tolerate stagnation of water.

Pick and pinch

Viola tolerates transfers well.But still, the first pick should be carried out when two leaves appear.

If the root system is damaged during a dive, then this is not fatal for the plant, the viola will straighten itself. In this case, the plant will be slightly behind in development.

A pinch of violets is needed so that they are better bushy. It is produced when the plant has 3 pairs of leaves.

Planting pansies in a permanent place

The timing of the transplant depends on where the viola will live on:

  • if on the balcony, then seedlings can be transplanted in April;
  • it is best to transport seedlings to the household plot in May, after the weather has become stable warm, otherwise night frosts will destroy young plants.

When choosing a permanent place, it is worth considering that it is better to violets bloom in cool, but with a large amount of diffused light.

  1. Prepare the soil for planting in advance. The place reserved for the flower garden needs to be carefully dug up, ventilated and sorted out, as well as organic fertilizers. Compost or rotted manure at the rate of 10-liter bucket per 1 square. m of land.
  2. After preparing the soil and before planting, it must be at least a few days before you can start planting. This is necessary for the soil to mature. The optimal period is a week.
  3. Since viols do not like to keep their feet in damp, it is best to put a little drainage in the holes for planting, for this, expanded clay or ASG (sand-gravel mixture) is suitable.
  4. Before the transplant, shed the earth with a solution of biofungicides.
  5. After that, viola bushes are planted at a distance of 12 - 15 cm from each other.
  6. The top layer of soil is better to mulch, or sprinkle with ASG.
  7. If violets are planted on the balcony, 2 liters of land are needed per bush.
  8. It is better to plant viola flowers in the evening.

It is important to remember that the flowering of violets begins quite early and almost always flowering plants are transferred to the garden.

Further care for viola outdoors

In order to admire the beautiful pansies all season, it is worth knowing how to care for them.

  1. Watering the plant should be moderate, but if the weather is dry, watering should be increased.
  2. Violets do not like weeds, therefore they require regular weeding.
  3. It is necessary to loosen the top layer so that oxygen enters the roots.
  4. Constant flowering takes a lot of energy, so regular feeding is simply necessary. Fertilizers should be applied at least 1 time per month. And you need to alternate organic and minerals. It is better to buy ready-made complex fertilizer for violets.
  5. For preventive protection against pests, the plant can be treated several times a season with special solutions.

Growing problems

Usually, with proper care, violets do not cause special problems, but there are some difficulties that a gardener may encounter:

  • if a place is not protected from direct sunlight, then violets can stop flowering in June;
  • on a too shaded area, the viola flowers will be pale and small;
  • buds will fade when planted too tight;
  • on depleted soils the plant will be stunted;
  • inadequate watering is bad for growth and disease resistance.

Violets, satisfied with the care, will always please with a rich scattering of lush flowering.

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