Growing tips...
The first Pansies are here!
Pansies love it on the cool side and can even take a little snow...
Growing Tips
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As pansies are cool season plants, plant in full sun in cooler gardens and part-shade in warmer ones.
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When choosing pansies, look for stockier plants with dark green leaves as they make healthier plants.
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Choose plants with many buds but few flowers in bloom.
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Prepare soil with manure, leaf mold or compost with soil for optimum growing and drainage. Pansies do best in fertile, organic rich and cool soil.
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Add mulch to preserve moisture and water deeply. The mulch also keeps the soil temperature more even.
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Add fertilizer, (granular or time release) when preparing soil before planting to keep pansies healthy and promote maximum growth. Or, use a water-based fertilizer according to package directions.
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Deadheading spent blooms is one of the keys to a long-blooming season. This won’t allow the plant to set seeds so more energy is directed to the existing flowers.
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Since the blossoms are edible, add their beautiful petals for flavor and color in salads or desserts.