Panseluța, one of the most delicate flowers, is a small plant that grows on a stem, reaching a maximum height of 15 cm, with flowers that have a diameter of approximately 1.5 cm. It usually grows in meadows and wasteland areas, especially on acidic or neutral soil, and blooms from April to September.
Although you may not believe it, panseluța has a long history of use in traditional medicine. It has been recommended as a treatment for epilepsy, asthma, skin diseases, and eczema. It also has expectorant properties, making it useful in the treatment of bronchitis and whooping cough. It is also diuretic, which leads to its use in treating rheumatism and cystitis.
Its flowers have also been used to produce yellow, green, and greenish-blue dyes, while the leaves are used in the production of a chemical indicator.
Plant them in November
November is a good month for planting pansies in your garden or balcony pots. Plant them now in the ground if you want to have many beautiful and vigorous flowers all spring. The advantage of planting them in autumn is that the spring flowers will be much more robust and ready to wear their colorful hats for a longer time than those planted in spring.
When purchasing them, I advise you to choose only healthy ones, which have a compact appearance, without yellowed leaves, and as few flowers as possible. If possible, it is good to check the roots, which should be white and well developed. Pansies with small to medium-sized flowers are preferred because they are much more resistant than those with very large flowers.
As for care, pansies are known to be among the flowers that require the least care. They need fertile soil, moderate moisture, and only a little sun, and that's about it.
If you don't have a garden, you can plant them in large terracotta pots alongside other spring-blooming bulb flowers. Just make sure to remove faded flowers every few days, as this will encourage them to continue blooming.
When summer comes, take the pansies out of the ground and make room for summer flowers, as the heat causes the pansies to dehydrate quickly and turn yellow.
If you choose to plant them at home, simply fill plastic pots with soil and moisten it. Sprinkle the seeds and then gently press them down with your hand and cover them with a thin layer of soil. Regularly sprinkle the soil with water. Before the plants grow too dense, they need to be thinned out. You can use egg cartons for sowing. They are very cheap.
Put soil in each indentation and one seed. The cardboard must be kept moist at all times. Once the seedlings are strong enough, separate each indentation and put them in pots or in the garden.
In spring, most plants need fresh soil and a new pot. There should be a space of 2-3 cm around the root which should be filled with soil.
