Seeds Flowers - 3 g

The Garden Pansy (Viola × wittrockiana), known in Egypt as بنفسج الثالوث, is a cool-season member of the violet family (Violaceae) prized for its butterfly-like, multicoloured blooms. Each velvety flower carries a cheerful "face" of overlapping petals, making this a favourite for winter beds, borders, window boxes and pots where colour is wanted while most plants rest.

Planting

Sow seeds about 5 mm deep and keep them in complete darkness until they sprout, since pansy seed needs darkness to germinate. At a soil temperature of roughly 18–24 C, germination takes about 10 to 14 days. In Egypt, start seed in trays in early September–October (delay to October–November in hotter Upper Egypt). Prick out the young seedlings into individual pots, then plant them into their final position 15–20 cm apart in full sun to partial shade in moist, well-drained soil.

Fertilizing

In cool weather, feed with a liquid fertilizer supplying at least half its nitrogen as nitrate, such as a 15-2-20 formula, every 14 days. Egyptian guidance is to apply NPK at about 5 g per litre of irrigation water every 15 days, with a monthly micronutrient feed. As soil warms, switch to a granular or 20-20-20 feed. Avoid excess nitrogen, which produces large leaves and small flowers.

Care

Keep the medium consistently moist but never soggy, saturating the root zone to about 10–15 cm; water roughly twice weekly in winter and daily in spring. Provide afternoon shade in warm weather. Deadhead spent blooms before seed sets to extend flowering, which peaks from December through to about May. Watch for aphids, slugs, mites and powdery mildew.