Pansies and Violas

Hutt News, Volume 16, Issue 13, 26 August 1942, Page 8

Pansies and Violas

liy (I. R. Doves. Pansies and Violas are peculiarly suited to conditions of climate in the Yv'ellinglon disl rid , being close lo the ;;i'otni(l I hey ; 1 1"«> no!. a!fec;ed so inucli by wind. They arc of the ouivvorJd which have retained their popularil y, ami of late years ba\e come more and more into favour. Their showiness and the wonderful varieties, both in colour and form, make Lhem indispensible to the /lower border. if well grown in massed beds thoy make a wonderful v.ivid show, and as they bloom l'or practically 'J months of the vear (provided spent blooms are 1»ic■ ct. d off regularly; no wender they are so popular. '1 he Pansy and Viola should in t his district be at ; lieii best in ucloher and .\ovemi.er. The ovm'l'.on of (he pais.. Pataken place during the last century. The; pansy of today has been raised from the original Pritish Heartsease named Viola tricolor. The i plants have been raised from s> < d and great care taken 1:1 select hi,v.' from the seedlings any of otustanding or distinct flowers. Seeds Horn these would then be gathered ana sewn, ami again a selection of the • very best would be mad- . Tit s practice has gone on for years until you have the pans:.' of today. The \arkty of coiours ha\e been obtained by artificial cross-'-let Hissing, or by natuie's cros-.-l eniiis. i', the busy bee. The. viola is a more modern /lower than the pansy, and is a v.'oiiderfully free bloomer, hence its popularity as a border plant. It was originated by Dr. Stuart who b.. cross-fertilising the pansy with the wild variety, a native 01' the Pyrenees. the "Viola Cornuta," e\olved

the Viola

the Viola. As in the pansy, other growers, by hybridising uu<l crossfertilising, have improved it until you' luu'e the present day varieties. • There are two distinct varieties of Violas, the Kayed and the Kayiess. The dowers of the liiiyed variety are marked with line lines 'which radiate from the centre or eye of the bloom, and the, Kayie.s.s, which, as its name implies, has not these lines Ku,isiiig' i'Voni Seed. Tin; best time to raise pi.nsies from seed is fi'om Ist February until the middle of i\larch. advantage of sowing early in February is that the plants will bloom by the end of April or .May, and then those that are not up to the slandard 3ou require can be pulled up and relegated to the compost heap, it also has this advantage, that one may collect those ol'tiie same shades so that when planting out into permanent beds, he or she can arrange the colour .scheme desired. Most people do not go to this trouble, but just risk planting at random, and in soule cases the blending of various shades is vety pleasing to the eye. If sowing vis made in February If sbwing is made in February oi *Jim} suiid^' ''

inserted four inches apart and great care taken that when planted they should be well firmed at the base. Take the cuttings from the young shoots from the centre of the plant say three or four irom each plant vou.wish to multiply. (Heat care should be taken to select only cuttings of good substance, no weak shoots should, be used. Do not use for cuttings shoots which have /lowered as these are not nearly so satisfactory. If the soil has been kept loose and well up to the pansy, one should be able to detach the shoot with a few roofs already developed, but if not they should be treated as ordinary cuttings. The cutting should be about three inches long and after being taken off the plant should bo. cut through immediately beneath a leaf or joint. The lower leaves are then removed and the cutting is then ready for insertion into the prepared bed or box. Use a small dibler and make the hole a little deeper than the depth you intend to plant, the slip, and let a little of the sand fall into the hole then press the earth firmly around the base of the slip, water ,and shade from (he hot sun fot 1 about ten days to a fortnight. When struck, all one has to do during the winter months'is to remove any decayed leaves with scissors. This is important, as decayed leaves affect the other leaves and vr mildew is set up which affects the whole plant. Keep the plants moist but not too wet. The soil often looks dry on top even though if be wet underneath. You can easily determine this by scratching away a little of the top surface. Parparing' Soil l'or Permanent Ile<l.

It' one is to get,, the best results great cure must be taken in the preparation of the bed. The following I have found very successful: — Trencli the ground two spits deep, remove the first spit and turn over the second spit, chopping it up small and on top of this put a liberal supply of well decayed stable manure and leaf mould or compost, then turn on top of this the first spit of second row, and so on. The first spit taken out is then wheeled round to till in the last trench. Work the whole patch to a line consistency, •smooth out. and if you have any sand available cover one inch all over and hoe in. Flaming Out. The sooner rooted cuttings are planted out into permanent *beds the better. In Wellington it has been my experience that the best, time is from the first week in July to the lirst week iu August. Plant 10 to 12 inches apart, and IS inches between rows. Keep the ground well hoed at least once a week. Flowering Season, During the dowering season it is essential to remove ail spent .blooms and any dead leaves. Hoeing should be kept going all the time. If show blooms are required, all weak shoots must be cut away and number of dowering buds reduced to about half a dozen shoots. Do not let seed 'pods form, or llowers will soon decrease in size. Ai'tiiieial 3laf2;»riii£'. During the flowering season an ocr.isional manuring in liquid form is beneficial. The following will be found satisfactory First of all, sprinkle (dry) over the bed some Superphosphate or (luauo, about 4 ozs to the square, yard. Hoe this in and then water with the following: 2 laldespoonfills of Sulphate of l'ol ash d isolved in an ordinary wal er-can full of water. The bed should have a good soaking with water before givi'pg the liquid manure. (liquid cov manure is also beneficial). Evening is the best time for watering as the moisture has time to sonic in before any evaporation takes place, and the next afternoon or evening hoe Mm bod o\ er. Show pansies are divided into five subdivisions, namely: Masterpiece, (with wavy edgei, Sell's, White 13rounds, Yellow Grounds, and Dark grounds. The value of a variety 3epe;ids on the following: First, p>uud unbroken eye: .'occiid, puritv fe. its colour and clear definition of jp colour markings; and third Wjiapo of form. Wfhe following are the three es||||jjials lor Pansy growers: ||to Deeply, Manure Well ami Keep flffp& tUo Hoc Going