Reasons to Plant Pansies in Early May

As we celebrate Hyannis Country Garden’s 60th anniversary, songs from 1965 can occasionally be heard in the store. Today, what came to me was “You Were On My Mind” by We Five. You might remember it…the one that starts with waking up in the morning. Well this morning what was on my mind was remember to buy some pansies before I go home. Some might think that they’ve missed the traditional pansy planting window or March or April, but I know that there are several reasons to place these in gardens and containers, even in May.

1. Edible Flowers

Violas and pansies are edible. They add instant charm to any beverage or dish. Use them as garnish or an ingredient in salads, party finger foods, or cocktails. Use them to decorate a spring cake. Freeze them in ice cubes for use later in the year; an ice cube containing a viola or pansy makes a glass of sparkling water or iced tea special and festive.

2. Pressed Flowers

Plant pansies and violas now to press and dry. Since these flowers are already fairly flat, they press easily and once dried can be used in a number of creative ways. To press your pansies and violas, use plain sheets of paper that are commonly used in printers. This works better than waxed paper or tissue paper, since the paper can absorb the moisture and help the pansies to dry. Place two sheets of paper in a book, lay out the pansies, and top with another sheet of paper. Close the book and put something heavy on it…it could be another book or a heavy pot or pan. Leave the flowers there for at least two weeks as they dry. Once dried you can remove the paper and leave them between the sheets until you’re ready to use the flowers. People who press many flowers for future use store them in airtight plastic bins, plastic sheet protectors, ziplock bags or left inside of the books they were pressed in. The key to success is to store flowers that are fully dried and keep them away from the light, since once exposed they will start to fade.

Once the pansies are dried they can be arranged on paper or a board, and photographed. Yes, you can glue them onto black notecards as well, but these will fade and brown over time. If you take pictures of your arrangements you can have those printed on just about anything. Make an arrangement to use in a custom calendar, on tee shirts, or on a phone case. The photos preserve the look of pressed flowers and these don’t brown or fade.

3. Filler Flowers

Soon it will be time to plant pots and boxes for the summer. But if you keep some pansies around, these are perfect for making those window boxes or porch containers instantly full and colorful. As the summer annuals grow larger into June and July, those pansies usually get covered, but that’s okay because they tend to stop flowering as the summer gets hotter. You can either tuck pansies in your containers now, leaving space for the summer annuls, or you can step them up into small pots and grow them on until the end of May.

The Hyannis Country Garden theme for our 60th anniversary is “Flower Power,” and you can’t go wrong by starting the growing season out with pansies. Don’t be surprised if you wake up this weekend with pansies on your mind!