Pansies can bring a nice splash of color to any garden. Unlike many plants, pansies love cold weather, so they help make your winter garden shine and in early spring. Because of their short stems they tend to be less common as cut flowers, but there's no reason why you can't treat them this way, especially if you have a low vase. Whether you want to cut some of your violets for a bouquet, to keep them healthy, or need to handle a 'long stem' pansy, you need to know how to handle a sharp gardening blade.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Sever the Pansies for a Composition
Step 1. Use a sharp blade to cut the pansies
When cutting any plant, you should try to use a sharp, clean blade. The sharp blades make a sharper cut that can help prevent your pansies from becoming infected with a plant disease. If you have hard-stemmed pansies, try using a sturdy gardening tool, such as a pair of garden shears.
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For the tender stems of pansies, you can use a sharp pair of scissors to make the cuts, because the stems of these types of pansies are easier to cut without damaging the plant.
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Step 2. Make the cut
For pansy cut flowers, make the cut when the flower head has just opened. Try to cut your flowers in the morning whenever possible because that's when the flowers are the freshest. To cut the flower:
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Using a sharp blade, as described in the previous step, cut the stem about 0.06 cm above the next set of leaves, below the one you remove with the stem. A set of leaves is a pair of leaves that grow along the stem. Many people like to keep at least one set of leaves on the cut flower stem.
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Step 3. Keep the flowers healthy after they are cut
Choose a short vase to accommodate the short stems of pansies. Fill the jar with clean, fresh water. Make sure the jar is about two-thirds full of water. Put the cut pansies in the jar.
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Change the water in the jar every other day to make cut violets last as long as possible.
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Step 4. Consider making centerpieces with cut pansies
Due to the short stems of pansies, many often don't think of them as flowers for a vase, even though they do great in a vase. While keeping violets alive in a vase is discussed in the previous step, you can also make a beautiful centerpiece with cut flowers. To do this:
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Fill a bowl with fresh water. Trim the stems of the violets so that only the flower heads (or blooms) remain. Float the flower heads in the water.
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Although flower heads tend to wilt faster than regular cut flowers, they will make a very pretty centerpiece for a couple of days.
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Method 2 of 4: Cut the Pansies to Keep Them Healthy
Step 1. Trim your pansies to keep them healthy
Cut the stems of the violets to a height of about five centimeters. Try making the cut about 0.06 cm above the set of leaves closest to this five centimeter length.
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You can compost cut foliage if it doesn't turn out to be diseased or moldy. Dig up and discard any plants that show signs of disease. This will be discussed more fully in the next step.
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Step 2. Cut off the diseased parts of the plant
Try to get rid of all yellowed, diseased, or wilted foliage to improve the plant's appearance and hopefully stop the spread of the disease. Any plants where the disease cannot be fought should be dug up and thrown away to prevent them from infecting others.
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As mentioned above, avoid composting diseased plants because compost can infect other plants.
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Step 3. Help your pansies survive very cold winters with mulch
Some gardeners in milder climates will see their pansies survive the winter to bloom again in the spring without the help of mulch. If you live in a very cold climate, diligently protecting and mulching your plants can help them survive the colder months. Some gardeners protect plants with straw or a cover of evergreen tree branches to help them survive the winter.
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If the operation is successful, the pansies should bloom again in early spring.
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Step 4. Look for new growth after you have pruned the pansies
New growth should hopefully begin to appear on your violet plant and it should bloom again until the first frost arrives.
Method 3 of 4: Cut the High Violets
Step 1. Try to understand why a pansy could become a 'tall stem'
Pansies are generally a low-growing, fairly compact plant. However, if they grow in the shade, they tend to lengthen and become a bit 'high-stemmed'. If pansies have 'tall stems' they can appear cluttered and drooping, which is bad, especially if the flowers are hidden.
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Your pansy plant can also become tall-stemmed if fed too often, so try to be sorted by feeding it monthly with fertilizer.
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Step 2. Determine how long you would like the pansy stems to be
To manage a tall stem of pansies, consider your preferred length for the stem. Once you have established the desired length, find the set of leaves closest to the desired length. Cut about 0.06 cm above this set of leaves.
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For most pansy varieties, you may want to aim to cut the tall stem parts of the plant to about ten centimeters in stem length (or the closest set of leaves to this height).
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Step 3. Consider cutting the entire 'tall stem' plant
If the whole plant has a tall stem, it is advisable to cut the entire stem to a length of about ten centimeters. Try making the cut just above the set of leaves closest to this ten centimeter length.
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When the plant grows back, it should grow back more compactly.
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Method 4 of 4: Caring for Pansies
Step 1. Help your pansies behave more like perennials if you wish
Although most gardeners treat pansies as annuals (plants that only live for a year), these plants actually have a slightly longer lifespan. To make your pansies behave more like perennials than annuals:
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Plant them in a sunny location. Although pansies prefer a cooler temperature, they love direct sunlight. The plant is more likely to produce larger, more abundant flowers if it gets the full sun it loves.
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Consider the soil where pansies are planted. These plants have no particular preferences regarding the type of soil, but, like most plants, they prefer rich, well-draining soil.
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Step 2. Make sure you water and fertilize the pansies every month
A water-soluble generic food is a good choice for fertilizing pansies. We also recommend that you keep your plants well supplied with water during dry periods.
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To know when to water your plants, check how dry the soil is around them. You should water your plants when the soil is dry to the touch.
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Step 3. 'Cut off the flower heads' of pansies
Like most flowering plants, removing dead flower heads and budding seed heads can help extend the flowering period. 'Cut off the flower heads' of withered flowers by cutting the stem just above the nearest set of leaves. Remember to use a sharp, clean blade to do this.
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Remove seed pods as they develop. Seed production takes energy away from flower production, so you'll have more flowers if you take out the pods.
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Step 4. Help your pansies thrive even in a warm climate
Hot weather can make the appearance of pansies unpleasant. If you live in a warm climate and expect a hot summer, move the pansies to a cooler place away from the sun, if possible, for the next few months.
Advice
- Water your plants after cutting them to keep them healthy.
- Trimming and fertilizing pansies at the right time can ensure repeat flowering later in the year - just as other plants are finishing their flowering season.
