the recovery period. Some gardeners add some water solu- 
able nutrient to this water. You°-may do this if desired 
although we’ve not found it to be an essential. 
When buying Pansy plants that are in bloom it may be 
best to remove all open bloom at time of transplanting. Any 
withered bloom or embryo seed-pods certainly should be 
removed and kept off the plant until it has become estab- 
lished in its new bed. 
Seasonal Care Of Pansies 
The successful planting of the bed is of course only the 
foundation for a long and enjoyable season for your Pansies. 
A few pointers followed with reasonable regularity will go 
far to making this season long. — 
Picking of old flowers and seed pods has been deemed 
by some gardeners a necessity. There is no doubt but that 
the removal of seed pods, after the flower withers is bene- 
ficial in that it makes available more of the food supply 
for the development of the other flowers that follow. It will 
bring more abundant flower production and enable the plant 
to maintain flower size longer. The high level of your fertil- 
ity, applied at the time of making the bed or supplied in 
subsequent procedures, will determine to an extent just 
how desirable the picking of seed pods will be. 
Another factor well worth mentioning is the progressive 
pruning of the plant as the season advances. Pansy plants 
will remain short and bunchy in full sunlight and when not 
too crowded. However, when set thick in shade or partial 
shade and when food supply starts to deplete the plants 
branches get longer and become less sightly. This may be 
controlled easily by picking flowers and when doing so take 
an end of the branch with it. Follow this mild pruning as 
the plant gets beyond desirable bounds and you’ll always 
have shapely, well bloomed plants. Also the plants may be 
pruned back in late summer or fall to about 6 to 8 inches 
high, wintered over and you’ll have a very fine early spring 
. display the following year if given a light protection in 
winter where it is colder than 15 degrees above. No protec- 
tion needed in the warmer climates. 
We suggest the trial of a fall set bed of new seedlings 
to be wintered under a light mulch if needed for early 
spring bloom. In southern States Pansies may be handled 
as a winter blooming subject to the best advantage. 
Mulching The Bed 
SUMMER MULCH: This is desirable as it evens out 
the moisture, helps control weeds and affords protection 
for the surface roots, Horticultural Peat Moss is the easiest 
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