Two-year-old pansies are best propagated by seed. Perennial breeds can also be propagated by division. You buy the seeds or harvest them from your own plants, which can also self-sow.
After flowering, pansies form seed pods, which they use to reproduce
Most pansies and horned violets are biennials. This means that the plants flower the following year after sowing and then die. You can simply leave the bloomed pansies until the seed pods form, from which you can get seeds. The resulting plants may, however, have other properties regarding
- Color,
- Size,
- hardiness,
- flowering time and duration
exhibit than the mother plants. It has to do with the fact that most strains are F1 hybrids, the seeds of which often do not drop properly.
Propagation by seed
When sowing, it should be noted that the seeds are dark germs. They are sown about 1 cm deep, after about 1-2 weeks they germinate. Keep the soil evenly moist, avoid overly sunny locations. After about four weeks, the seedlings can be isolated. When the small pansies are about 5 cm tall, transplant them to their final spot in the garden.
When to sow?
In order to enjoy flowering pansies in the autumn of the same year, you have to plant the seeds by July. The first flowers then appear in October/November and remain in the mild winters until spring. The sowing for the spring and summer flowering of the following year should be carried out between August and September.
propagation by division
In contrast to the short-lived pansies, the horned violets are often offered as perennials. They tolerate a strong pruning after flowering. In order to keep the growth of the horned violets compact, the cut plants should be divided and transplanted to the new location.
tips and tricks
The self-grown pansies are more resilient. When buying seeds, pay attention to a good winter hardiness, which is particularly characteristic of horned violets and wild pansies.