Viola x wittrockiana Prim Up Blue Yellow Splash - Pansy

Viola wittrockiana Prim'Up Blue Yellow Splash charms with its bi-coloured corollas, its long uninterrupted flowering, and its compact habit, which remains neat throughout the season. This hardy biennial plant brings life to flower beds and borders for weeks in the autumn and then blooms again in late winter, with the peak of flowering occurring between March and June. It is easy to grow in humus-rich and moist soil, in a sunny or semi-shaded location.

Garden pansies, sometimes called Swiss giant pansies, are actually hybrids in the Viola x wittrockiana group. They belong to the Violaceae family and are most often grown as annuals or biennials, although they are theoretically short-lived perennials. The 'Prim'Up Blue Yellow Splash' variety is a ramified plant that forms compact clumps, with a slightly spreading habit, 20cm (8in) in height and 20 to 30cm (8 to 12in) in width. Its flowering occurs from late winter to the end of spring, or from the end of spring to the end of summer. 'Prim Up' pansies bear beautiful, open flowers, 6cm (2in) in diameter. They are slightly fragrant and bi-coloured, with a tiny bright yellow heart from which dark bristles emerge. On each flower, the two upper petals are a fairly intense blue-mauve, surmounting three lemon-yellow petals washed with mauve at the edges. The medium green leaves are elliptical and broadly crenate. They persist in winter.

Pansies are wonderful in the garden, but they also work beautifully in a pot on a windowsill to be enjoyed up close. You can plant them with primroses, wallflowers, grape hyacinths, daisies, and even with grasses like Japanese sedge for a sculptural effect in a contemporary style.

Pansy petals are edible, and their colours will bring a touch of originality to salads and pastries. For this, think of growing them as you would grow your vegetables, in the most natural way possible.

Please be aware that our plug plants are professional products intended for experienced gardeners. Upon receipt, transplant them as soon as possible to pots and containers, or directly in flower beds.