Growing Cool Wave Series Pansy Garden Seeds

Sow Cool Wave Series pansy seeds indoors using a starting kit 12-14 weeks before the final frost. Pansies do not grow naturally in the wild and are not recommended for direct sowing. Maintain pansy seeds in complete darkness for germination then place beneath fluorescent grow lights for 16 hours per day with 8 hours of darkness. Do not use incandescent bulbs and do not leave lights on for any 24-hour period. Harden-off seedlings before transplanting outside into shady and cool spot in the garden or comparable place indoors. Plant 3-4 Cool Wave Series pansy seeds ¼ inch deep and 12-16 inches apart in moist, hummus-rich, and well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. Avoid overhead watering to minimize wetting foliage as Cool Wave Series pansy seeds are susceptible to fungal and leaf diseases if not properly ventilated. Pansies thrive in cool and moderate summers and will benefit from shade, declining in mid-summer and best removed before the fall. Pansies have no serious pests or diseases, but monitor for slugs and snails. Cool Wave Series pansy seeds mature in 91-98 days as 6-9 inch mounded dwarves with a 24-30 inch spread covered in 2 inch blooms.

Viola x wittrockiana, or the Cool Wave Series pansy, is a hybrid resulting from tri-colored violas. The pansy only exists as a result of mass crossing and hybridizing of the viola during the 19th century and has never grown naturally in the wild. There is much debate and etymological red tape about interchanging the common terms "pansies", "violas", and "violets". The species wittrockiana pays homage to 19th century pioneering botanist Veit Brecher Wittrock.