SP.OR.VIOSWIM-0050
Viola Swiss Giants Velvet Mix belongs to the Violet genus (Viola x wittrockiana) and is often considered a variety of pansy, as this variety has the traditional dark blotch colouration and exceptionally large flowers. Like many of the popular varieties of viola, Viola Swiss Giants Velvet Mix is a hardy compact plant, that is sure to provide months and months of stunning colour. The Swiss Giants Velvet Mix is one of the largest flowering varieties of all the Violas and Pansies with flowers as large as 15cm, in a brilliant range of colours from whites and yellows, through to pinks and purples, red, burgundy and many striking bicolour combinations. But what sets the Viola Swiss Giants Velvet Mix apart, is the alluring velvety appearance of the flowers.
In bedding applications, Violas are typically planted out in Autumn (in regions with mild Winters) for Spring flowering, or planted out in Winter for Summer flowering. Depending on the severity of the cold weather, viola varieties can come back and be grown as a biennial, however, it is most commonly grown as a colourful annual.
In many cases, these terms are often used interchangeably, as the plants are very similar and belong to the same genus, Viola. If we wanted to get picky, one of the key distinctions is that pansy flowers have four petals pointing upwards and only one pointing down, whereas, viola flowers have three pointing up and two pointing down. Another distinction is that most viola varieties have an abundance of smaller flowers, whereas pansy varieties often have larger flowers, particularly in the case of the Swiss Giants Velvet Mix which is often considered a pansy.