Mitchell’s Nursery & Greenhouse provides beautiful, healthy pansies and violas to the area in various colors. Johnson Nursery Corporation, located in Willard, North Carolina, was kind enough to provide some pansy and viola facts to share with our lovely clients.
All pansies are violas but not all violas are pansies!
Have you ever heard that all squares are rhombuses but not all rhombuses are squares? That’s the same concept with pansies and violas: All pansies are violas but not all violas are pansies. Pansies are actually the result of breeding the traditional violas with wild viola varieties.
Although pansies are known for fall planting, violas are more tolerant to both very cold and very hot weather, making them a better fit for long-term planting.
While pansies have larger blooms, violas have more flowering heads per individual plant.
Pansies and violas are edible! They have a mild evergreen flavor and are best used in salads, soups, or as a pretty garnish for a pop of color. They may even be used for cake decorations!
Pansies have more color varieties than violas.
To identify the difference between pansies and violas, pay attention to their petals. Violas have two petals up and three petals down while pansies have four petals up and one petal down.
The name pansy comes from the French word “Pensée”, which means “Thoughtful”. This is a reference to the pansy’s vibrant petals that resemble a happy face. Pansies have even been animated with lively expressions in films such as Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland.”
We hope you enjoyed these fun fall facts and utilize them going forward on your gardening journey.
Happy Planting!