Delta Pansies

Transcription

Fall’s almost here, and that means that the garden centers will have pansies today on Southern Gardening

Southern Gardening with Gary Bachman is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Pansies are one of those tough plants that will perform all through the fall and winter season in our Mississippi landscapes. I’m in the habit of planting the next season’s flowering annuals before the next season’s plants start to decline, and this drives my wife crazy. But if you wait, you run the risk of not having a good selection to choose from at the garden center.

A group of pansies that will be a sure thing in your landscape are the delta pansies. Delta fire featured brilliant yellow flowers with blotches that range from burgundy to rusty red and orange. Delta wine and cheese is an attractive mix of primrose, red violet, and smooth yellow shades that are very much reminiscent of the actual name sake. These pansies have free branching growth characteristics and at eight inches tall and wide. Delta pansies produce more flowers and much earlier than other pansies. The huge flowers are held above the foliage by strong stems and allow the petals to flutter in the slightest breeze.

In the landscape, prepare the soil as you would for summer flowering annuals. Keep the flower beds evenly moist, even in the cold temperatures of winter. Pansies may be the perfect winter flowering annual. The plants can freeze solid and thaw with little damage. The short, sturdy stems resist stretching which means plants will look good long after the days begin warming in the next spring season.

This is Gary Bachman with Southern Gardening.

Southern Gardening with Gary Bachman is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.