Pansy Johnny Jump Up is also known as Helen Mount. This traditionally best-known tricoloured pansy is called Wood Pansy or Horned Pansy in Dutch. The flowers are yellow/white with dark stripes and the upper petals are purple. The flowers of Horned Pansy Johnny Jump Up are smaller than those of other pansy species. These pansies are great for adding colour to flower beds, borders, window boxes and in rock gardens. This perennial is usually grown as an annual. If grown very early in the year, it flowers in the same year. If left to its own devices after flowering, this plant can self-seed. Gets its English name Johnny Jump Up from the fact that the ripe seeds are ‘shot away’. The petals of this plant are edible. Use this little flower as a decoration in e.g. salads, on cakes, in fruit salads and with other dishes. Horned Pansy is much loved by bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects. This plant can be grown very well in the border, in large flower pots, window boxes, hanging baskets, balcony boxes and as a ground cover. Also fits perfectly in bee and butterfly gardens and rock gardens. Also suitable for the feral nature garden. Pansies are easy to propagate via the leaves. Hardy annual/perennial. Height: 15 - 25 cm.
Indoor sowing: December - March
Outdoor sowing: end of May - June
Germination: 10 - 20 days
Germinationtemp.: 15 - 20 °C
Sowing depth: shallow
Distance between the rows: 15 - 20 cm
Planting distance: 15 - 20 cm
Plant postion: sunny - half shadow
Flowering period: April - June
Sow indoors from December - March. Then the Horned Pansy will flower as an annual in spring and early summer. Sow thinly and shallowly in trays filled with well-moistened potting soil. As Horned Pansy is a light germinator, the seeds should not be covered but gently pressed in the soil. Keep well warm, light and moist. Cover the trays with a lid, glass or cling film to keep the seeds well moist. Set aside at about 15 - 20 ºC. The seeds will emerge after 10 - 20 days.
Remove the lid, glass or cling film as soon as the seedlings emerge. Transplant the seedlings into separate pots as soon as they are large enough to handle. From early May, once there is no chance of night frost, the seedlings can be put outside during the day to harden off. Allow about 10 - 14 days for the plants to harden off properly. After this, the young plantlets can be placed in a sunny, sheltered spot with semi-shade. Provide well-drained soil. Keep a planting distance of 15 - 20 cm. Keep well moist and weed-free. Never let the pansies dry out.
For flowering in late summer and autumn, you can also sow directly in the garden from May, when there is no more chance of night frost, in a prepared seedbed in the desired position. Sow thinly in rows 15 - 20 cm apart and do not cover the seeds, but gently press or rake them into the soil. Horned Pansies are light germinators. Keep well weeded and moist. When the young seedlings are large enough, thin out to 15 - 20 cm space per plant. Horned Pansies need a position that includes some shade, as the leaves can ‘burn’ in full sun. Remove spent flowers to enjoy the blooms for longer.
