Viola x wittrockiana Bunny Ears - Pansy

The hybrid violet Viola x wittrockiana 'Bunny Ears' is simply splendid. Forming compact clumps, this small vigorous plant surprises with the abundance and shape of its extraordinarily colourful flowers, topped with two large elongated and upright petals resembling rabbit ears. Their "face", where bright pink, purple, white, golden yellow, and black compete and blend, makes one forget the rigours of February and accompanies spring blooms until May. More biennial than perennial, it will thrive in even the smallest pocket of fresh soil, flowering between the stones of a wall, in the gaps of a pavement, a damp rockery, and of course in flower pots.

Garden violets, sometimes called Swiss pansies, are hybrids grouped under Viola x wittrockiana. They belong to the violet family and are most often grown as annuals or biennials, although they are theoretically perennial, but have a short lifespan.

The variety 'Bunny Ears', in English "Oreille de Lapin", is distinguished by its flowers curiously adorned with long petals, with the two upper ones being particularly elongated. It is a bushy plant that quickly forms compact clumps, with a rounded habit, measuring 15-20cm (6-8in) in all directions. It blooms from late winter to late spring, or from late spring to the end of summer. Only intense heat slightly slows down its abundant flowering, although they will continue to bloom if moved to shade. 'Bunny Ears' pansies offer small but fully open flowers, with rich and intense colours, and a velvety texture. The flowers are multicoloured, with the two upper petals being fuchsia pink and purple, while the two lower petals are almost white. Around a bright yellow heart, small black "whiskers" radiate, accentuating the vibrancy of the colour. The medium green leaves are elliptical and broadly serrated.

If you love them in the garden, it is in containers, on the windowsill, to have them right under your nose while staying warm, that pansies will be most appreciated. You can, for example, associate them with primroses, Wallflowers, Grape Hyacinths, Daisies, and even with grasses like Japanese Sedge for a graphic effect in a contemporary spirit. This 'Bunny Ears' variety also adds a lot of whimsy to dry stone walls, alpine rockeries, or borders of a pathway in consistently moist soil. Combine pansies with heucheras and tulips. The glaucous blue-green colour of fescues also complements them well.

The petals of pansies are edible, and their colours will add a touch of originality to your salads and pastries. To do this, think of growing them as you would your vegetables, in the most natural way possible.