In recent years I’ve seen pansies and violas being used more frequently in bouquets by designers who are either growing their own flowers or have access to a really high-end flower market. I have always loved these sweet, cheerful little flowers but never really considered them as a potential bouquet ingredient because of their small size.
The goal of this trial was to find both pansies and violas that had beautiful coloring with long enough stems for cutting and vigorous plant growth.
A bulb crate is a black plastic box with slits in the side that bulbs from the Netherlands are typically shipped in. They measure 15 in (38 cm) wide and 24 in (61 cm) long and about 8 to 12 in (20 to 30 cm) deep. We planted 24 plants in each crate, with plants spaced 3 to 4 in (8 to 10 cm) apart. The reason for the close plant spacing is that we had limited room and wanted to see if closer spacing would encourage the plants to grow more upright, resulting in longer stems.
Pansies and violas are cold tolerant and can handle cooler weather, and I actually think we could have planted them a month sooner than we did, around the same time as the ones in the hoop house.
The plants grown under cover were much taller, and I think the closer spacing and protection from wind allowed them to produce more delicate, trailing stems than their counterparts grown in the field. We find the same is true for almost any cut flower that’s grown under cover. Stems are typically 30 to 50 percent longer because the plants aren’t bracing themselves against wind and poor weather and can stretch more easily toward the light.
All of the varieties included in the trial produced sufficient stem length for cutting. But only a handful of them had the colors and patterning that made them ideal candidates for arranging.
The flowers last an unbelievably long time in the vase. As the lower flowers on the stem begin to fade, new ones appear. We had cut pansies look beautiful for well over a week in just plain water and more than 10 days when we used flower food.
While we grew more than 40 varieties in the trial and all were beautiful, only 14 made the final cut. I love them all and can’t wait to see their cheerful, adorable faces again this coming spring.
The Rococo Frill Mix (pictured above, left) is a rich mix of yellow, velvet-purple, lavender, and maroon petals with eye-catching veining. Petals are ruffled and edged with a lighter pigmentation, making them look like lace. These medium-size flowers carry a light fragrance.
The Aalsmeer King Size Mix (pictured above, right) includes gold, cranberry, lavender, and bicolor flowers with distinct faces that look like butterflies. They have a ton of personality.
Viola ‘Gem Apricot Antique’ (pictured above, right) has antiqued plum-colored blooms dusted with gold, giving them a peach quality. As flowers age, they lighten to a golden-apricot hue. They also are highly fragrant!
This variety looks stunning mixed with viola ‘Gem Pink Antique’ (pictured above, right) because the petals are similarly colored but the flower heads are much smaller. The coolest thing about this variety is that the oldest flowers on a stem are tinted turquoise.
Pansy ‘Envy’ (pictured above, right) produces flowers that range from chocolate to metallic lavender to yellow with a green cast. Strongly scented blooms have a sepia-toned wash and look stunning planted en masse.
The ruffled blooms of pansy Chianti Mix (pictured above, left) have a lovely feminine quality. Colors range in varying shades of raspberry, peach, rose-blush, and pale lemon yellow. Flowers have contrasting dark faces, and some petals are even striped. This versatile mix is perfect for flower arranging because the muted earthy tones mix well with so many colors.
Viola ‘Brush Strokes’ (pictured above, right) is a fitting name for this striking mix of striped and multicolored flowers in shades of eggplant, wine, apricot, and sunny golden yellow. As flowers age, they take on a blue cast, giving them an old-fashioned, sepia-toned quality. This is one of our favorites to date.
If you’re looking for a fun new addition to your garden, I would highly recommend that you give pansies and violas a try. In addition to being easy to grow, cold tolerant, and suitable for small spaces and containers, they also make wonderful, unexpected cut flowers.
Please note: If your comment doesn’t show up right away, sit tight; we have a spam filter that requires us to approve comments before they are published.
Marti on
I live in zone 8b, and I am wanting to start violas from seed. When is the best time to start the seeds? I have the capability to start them in a green house. Also, what other flower seeds can I start now for a fall winter bouquet?