Pansies must be the friendliest flowers. With their bright faces, lifting any dull corner and adding months of joy to your hanging basket. These little plants come in a variety of colours, suiting many a gardeners’ situations.
Take care of your little ones
To get the best out of your pansies, when planted in a hanging basket, make sure to place in morning sun or full sun in winter. Loads of sun equals loads of flowers. Pansies grow in a variety of soils but remember, those hanging baskets need good drainage. A ¾ mix of potting soil and compost should do the trick. Add ¼ reconstituted palm peat to help retain water. And don’t plant your pretty pansies in old potting mix.
When purchasing your pansies from a garden centre do the following before you plant them…water the seedling tray well and let stand. Carefully lift the plant from the tray and lightly tease the roots. This will help with strong root growth and avoid clumping of the roots as they grow.
Gently firm the soil around the plant once placed in basket and water every 2nd or 3rd day during the growing season. Fertilise one week after planting and every 3-4 weeks thereafter. A good liquid fertiliser will not burn your plants.
To encourage flowering, remove spent flowers to prevent seed formation.
Pansies seldom have problems with insects and disease, should you however find pesky pests, treat early with organic insecticides and fungicides.
All you need is:
- Pansies of course!
- A strong hanging basket with drainage holes
- Potting mix- half potting soil and half compost
- Liquid Fertiliser