Viola x wittrockiana - Pansy

Approximately 400 species of violets are found around the world, mostly in cooler climates. About eleven species are native to Florida. The pansy is a widely grown cool-season annual developed by hybridizing Viola tricolor with other north European violets. This plant offers an unusually wide range of flower colors including blue, yellow and red. Pansy flowers are edible and have been used in making dyes.

In the north Florida garden, pansies will bloom from fall into spring, with short lapses following the occasional freezing weather. Pansies may need irrigation during these dry months but do not plant them in a soggy spot.