Digging deeperPlant Library

Other Names:  Winter Pansy, Violet

Description:

A beautiful clump forming violet with large slightly fragrant purple flowers that creates a dramatic color display in the garden, the flowers are long stemmed and perfect for cutting and displaying; biennial in mild winters

Ornamental Features

Purple Showers Pansy has masses of beautiful purple flowers with white eyes and deep purple streaks at the ends of the stems from early spring to late fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. Its crinkled round leaves remain dark green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Purple Showers Pansy is an herbaceous annual with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Self-Seeding

Purple Showers Pansy is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Purple Showers Pansy will grow to be only 4 inches tall at maturity extending to 8 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 6 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 5 inches apart. Although it's not a true annual, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant should be grown in a location with partial shade or which is shaded from the hot afternoon sun. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider covering it with a thick layer of mulch in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

Purple Showers Pansy is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.