As we head into the fall season, our outdoor gardens have to shift and transform with the weather. Summer blooms are beginning to fade, and the time has come to bring in some cool weather flowers! Pansies + violas are some of the toughest cool season annuals. If they’re planted in the early fall, they’ll begin blooming that season, through the winter and into the spring. So what are the differences between pansies + violas, and which will work best in your garden?
Pansies are a staple for every Fall garden. Not sure how to plant pansies for maximum color and growth? Use this easy recipe for planting success to be sure you're using the proper soil, fertilizer and technique for your Fall pansy plot this year. Our short video below will walk you through this quick tutorial. Happy planting!
Yellow Pansies
Purple Pansy
Now is a great time to clean up your planted pots that may be looking a little bedraggled coming off the summer heat. Pansies are a great option to spruce things up, because they will grow and bloom all winter and into spring. Many pansies are bright and bi-colored, making them an eye-catching addition to any garden or pot. Once spring rolls back around, pansies that were planted in fall are usually more robust, having been able to establish strong roots. This plant doesn’t like extreme heat or humidity, which is why they enjoy our fall and spring weather. Pansies are compact and low growing, so they are ideal for edging, borders or container plantings. They grow into clumps as opposed to spreading along the ground, and most varieties will reach a height of 4 – 8 inches. This flower is a great match with spring bulbs. A popular method for mixing pansies with spring-blooming bulbs is to plant bulbs in a garden bed, and then plant pansies right over the bulbs. In the spring, the bulbs will bloom and, as their flowers wilt, the pansies will be beginning their spring bloom. This is an excellent technique to maximize your garden bed color in the spring. Tulips or daffodils are a couple options that look great with pansies. Some cool-season annuals that complement pansies well are snapdragon, calendula, and nemesia.
Pansies are fairly easy to grow and will flourish under most conditions as long as they have good soil and at least partial sun. They like steady moisture so don’t let them dry out too much. One of the top reasons pansies fail is not getting enough water, so keep an eye on them and water if you notice they have dried out. Pansies respond well to deadheading, so keep plucking the wilting flowers off of ‘em. Ensure the plant has adequate nutrition by amending the soil with soil conditioner and Bio-Tone starter fertilizer.
A fun fact about the pansy flower: it’s edible! It has a mild, almost minty flavor and tends to be used a lot for decorations and as a garnish. (If you decide to sample some pansies, make sure no pesticides have been used on the plant.) Drop by and see us, we have a fantastic supply of pansies right now that will do a great job of giving your garden or containers a fun pop of color!
Pansies- Fall 2013- Garden Supply Co
Now is a great time to re-fresh those tired container gardens and add a pop of color to beds and borders with fall and winter blooming pansies. As compact, low growers, pansies are ideal for edging and for squeezing between rock walls and paths, and are an excellent choice for containers, baskets or in-ground beds. With tons of color varieties to choose from, these hardy annual plants will provide vibrant color in the landscape now through the chill of winter and early spring, fading only when the heat of next summer sets in. An added plus? They are super easy to grow, and we have tons of fresh, beautiful pansies arriving now weekly at Garden Supply Co.
The holidays are now officially behind us, and the chill drear of winter has set in. Although it's been a fairly mild season so far, this past week has really taken a turn for the cold. With peek planting time still a few months away, it seems like spring, and all the flowers and new growth that comes with it, is a long ways away. If you're craving some color to chase away the winter blues, never fear. We have lots of gorgeous plants that are in bloom now that will provide some much-needed cheer all winter long.
Garden Supply Co.- Cary, NC
Hellebore (Lenten Rose)
Hellebores are perennial and largely evergreen. Their flowers provide color and interest in the shade garden when other plants are dormant. In addition, their leaf structure is interesting enough to make them a foundation of the shade garden year-round, even when their flowers are spent. Hellebores are also deer resistant and somewhat drought tolerant. We have several beautiful varieties to choose from.
Of course one of our favorite plants for winter color is the pansy. Pansies come is a wide variety of colors, sizes, and shapes and work well in beds, borders, and container gardens. We have several carts full of the 4" pots.
If you're looking to add color, flowers, and fragrance to your winter landscape, try the Winter Daphne.
Winter Daphne has rosy-pink flower buds that open to white with fragrant flowers that bloom in winter and early spring. Reaching 4 feet tall and wide, Winter Daphne is beautiful against a wall or near a patio or deck where its fragrance can be appreciated.
For blooms indoors, we also have many options to choose from, including these gorgeous Paperwhites.
For those DIY folks, we have plenty of bulbs for planting or forcing indoors. Or for instant gratification, choose from our pre-planted selections. These make a great gift when paired with one of our many decorative plant stakes or garden art.
Or add a few African Violets to your kitchen windowsill for an instant burst of brightness.
And we have tons of stunning plants to choose from in our indoor garden, including some really incredible orchids.
As always, we are here seven days a week for all your gardening needs. Stop by and see us today!
Cary, NC
Pansies have arrived at Garden Supply Company, and we have a huge selection of beautiful plants to chose from. Best known as one of the most popular cool weather annuals, these lightly scented flowers are available in a huge range of colors. Many have unique markings as well. The dark centers in some flowers are thought to resemble little faces. Equally lovely grown in pots or as mass plantings, pansies have never gone out of fashion. And although delicate, they are surprisingly hardy and will bloom throughout the upcoming winter months and well into spring next year.
As compact, low growers, pansies are ideal for edging in beds. Their bright and showy faces add a burst of much-appreciated color in the landscape, boosting curb-appeal throughout the cooler months ahead when nothing else is blooming.
We have a huge selection of colors and sizes, from the most popular tried and true choices to new varieties on the market this year. If you're looking for suggestions on where to start, check out these tips from our helpful experts.
For planting beds, Garden Supply co-owner, Deborah recommends Blue-ti-ful Blue pansy in combo with Creeping Jenny.
Deb's favorite choice for container plantings is Dynamite Wine Flash. The wine-colored blooms look lovely mixed with earth-tones, yet work equally well in many colored containers, as well.
Co-owner Keith loves the combination of yellow blotch and pure yellow pansies in contrast with ornamental peppers for a high-impact punch.
No matter what your favorite color choice is, we have the perfect pansy for you. Come ask us for suggestions for creating the right combination for your landscape, or let one of our staff members pot up a beautiful container for you.
Thanks for stopping by! We'll see you back here soon for more snippets from the garden.
Hello everyone! Take just one small stroll through the Garden Supply grounds and you will fully believe that spring has truly arrived. Everywhere you look you'll see flowering annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees. If it's blooming, we're sure to have it. You need to come on over and take a little peek. We will have you itching to get outside in your gardens and get dirty in no time flat! One perennial already blooming is the Lenten Rose, a mainstay of many shady gardens.
This wonderful plant bears some of the longest-lasting flowers of the year. If you already have some of these in your garden, now is the time to trim off last year's foliage that may be hiding under the new leaves that emerged this winter. Removing any leaves that look shabby will make the new foliage and blooms look even better.
Pansies, another bright favorite in the landscape, are still going strong. We just got in a new shipment this week.
If you have pansies that have overwintered with you, they would benefit from a dose of fertilizer right about now. These spring-like temperatures will encourage new growth from their winter slump. Pinching off any spent flowers will help, too. This will give your old pansies a fresh new start. They should look good until mid-May.
Look at some of our other blooming beauties.
Wouldn't this stunning Camilla be a showpiece in your home landscape? Come check out all the gorgeous varieties we have for you.
And if you're looking for a real Southern Beauty, take a gander at these amazing forsythia in bloom. I would guess these plants are at least 8 feet tall already, and bursting with bright yellow color.
Just gorgeous! But then, everything is gorgeous these days at the garden center. Hope you'll stop by and visit soon!
Good morning everyone! Happy Monday! Here's wishing you a great beginning to a new week. And it's a very exciting week at Garden Supply. Our annual Spring Garden Party begins in just 6 days, on Saturday March 13th at 10 a.m. Be sure and mark your calendars because you guys are not going to want to miss this! We can't wait to see you there. And in the mean time, we have tons going on down at the garden center. New plants are arriving daily and the Greenhouse is full to bursting with beautiful spring and Easter decor. Take a look at this glorious shipment of Variegated Winter Daphne that has just come in.
This lovely plant is noted for its fragrance, which carries long distances and can often be smelled before you even see the plant in early spring. The flower buds are purple and as they open will reveal an almost white center which is very beautiful.
It is an evergreen, so will keep its leaves year-round. The leaves are decorative, as well, in dark green with white edges. It is very dense and has a rounded form that will grow from 2 to 4 feet tall and about 2 to 4 feet wide. This particular shrub is said to be one of the best of its kind. With its smaller size it would work well around patios or in a small yard. It is hardy to zones 6 to 9. If you like fragrance, this would fit the bill!
If you're looking for a burst of color and greenery, we've got you covered. The Greenhouse is filled with a wide array of flowers and plants that are sure to please. We've got pansies, orchids, begonias, tulips, hyacinths, hydrangeas, cyclamens, ranunculus, and primroses in full bloom. It is absolutely magical in here.
While you're in the Greenhouse, be sure to check out our collectible Penny McAllister figurines. They are guaranteed to bring a spring smile to these last lingering days of winter.
Penny McAllister's whimsical and sweet collections bring new charm to folk art. The sewing bug bit Penny at the tender age of 5. Nearly 50 years later, the former elementary school librarian has woven her passion for folk art into a dream occupation, making paper mache creations full of wit and whimsy.
"The chip on my nose, the worn paint on my clothes...they're all supposed to be there! I was designed this way, lovingly aged" by Penny McAllister
As always, there is more to see and do at Garden Supply. Stop by and pay us a visit! We'd love to see you! And be sure to check back here soon for more snippets from the garden.
