DID YOU KNOW...?

I decided to add this page because every once in a while I come across an interesting bit of information or trivia about gardening or gardening products. So I thought I'd share these bits of wisom with you in this manner. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

Recently I read an article entitled "Sweet On Pansies" in the May 1998 issue of Country Living. The article was mostly about using pansies in recipes. But there was also a bit about the history of the development of the pansy we know and love today.

Pansies were first hyridized at the end of the 19th century by English and German breeders from tiny Johnny-jump-ups and other violas. These early hybrids were used as "show" pansies at garden exhibitions throughout Victorian England. They were only one color - blue, in contrast to today's riot of colors- deep maroons, blues, yellows, purples, and all sorts of pastels. Through the years, the flower size has gotten bigger and plant breeders have also developed ruffled petals.

The name pansy comes from the French word pensee - meaning thought or contemplation. The pansy forerunner, Johnny-jump-up (Viola tricolor) goes under a number of other names including heartsease, tickle-my-fancy, love-in-idleness, and wild pansy. This tiny viola is distinguished by its deep purple petals with yellow and/or dark blotches.

All pansies are violas but not all violas are pansies. Hundreds of species make up the genus Viola, including the common sweet violet.

In garden centers and nurseries, you'll find common violas used for edging beds and underplanting taller flowers. These violas take on a compact form and perennial habit.

All pansies have a single-stemmed root system, whereas violas have either a multistemmed root system or an underground stolon system. Pansies have elongated leaves with a sprawling nature. The flowers appear on short spurs and have little or no scent. Violas, on the other hand, have rounded leaves, short jointed stems, long flower spurs, and some fragrance, and possess a compact growing habit.

No matter what their differences, all violas are edible and interchangeable in the kitchen. Just be sure they haven't been sprayed with pesticides.

NormGnome's Garden

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