FREE SEEDS: PANSY BLACKJACK
Great for your bedding scheme, says Ruth
I’M not usually a big fan of pansies, preferring their little cousins the violas that are more subtle and less likely to be ruined by bad weather.
However, I will make an exception for the gorgeous Mr Fothergill’s ‘Blackjack’ variety, which has dark, voluptuous, almost-black petals gathered around a brilliant yellow centre.
They don’t grow particularly high – 6in (15cm) is about their limit – but what they lack in stature they more than make up for in impact. Plant them at the front of borders or in patio pots to make the most of their eye-catching opulence.
There are two ways of sowing ‘Blackjack’ now – either outdoors, thinly, in a well-prepared seedbed, or undercover in trays.
Those growing outside can be grown on and moved to their final flowering positions in autumn. They may need protecting with a cloche or fleece during the coldest winter weather.
Seeds sown indoors can be germinated, pricked out and potted up individually. Grow them on and then late next spring, when the frosts are over, harden them off and plant them out.
Pansies are relatively trouble-free bedding plants, but do suffer from a Sow outside in a prepared seedbed… variety of leaf spots, which are common fungal diseases. These can be avoided by not planting new pansies where they have been growing before. Also, check that plants bought from garden centres and nurseries are not already infected. It can also spread via wild violets.
Leaf spot is a disfiguring problem that causes dark, yellow and greasy patches to appear on the surface of leaves, sometimes accompanied by mould underneath. It can be treated with a fungicide such as Bayer Fungus Fighter or Scotts Fungus Clear Ultra.