THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 12, 1995 TAG: 9503110022
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G19 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: WEEDER'S DIGEST
SOURCE: BY ROBERT STIFFLER, GARDENING COLUMNIST
LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
PANSIES ARE ONE of the great winter flowers for Hampton Roads. New hybrid varieties come in a variety of colors and bloom from fall through June. If you have not planted any, they can still be found in garden centers and will provide lots of blooms until mid-June.
Yellow and blue have traditionally been the most popular colors but today pansies are available in purple, white, pink, orange and every combination thereof.
Pansies do better planted in the ground than in containers. Although I have always planted them in containers by necessity, you'll find they bloom much more when planted in the ground. Rabbits love these delicate flowers and devour them overnight, which sometimes requires putting them in tall containers or window boxes.
Also, they need fertilizing much more often than most gardeners are used to providing. A long-lasting organic fertilizer should be applied monthly from the time you plant them. After the weather warms up, make sure they get watered once a week. Pansies brighten up the winter landscapes of our area, so be sure to use plenty in your garden. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ROBERT STIFFLER
Becky Bunch prepares to fertilize pansies in a hanging basket at
Johnson's Gardens in Suffolk.
by CNB