In ancient times, pansies were believed to be a magical plant. Therefore, some magical properties were attributed to him. For example, there was a belief that with their help you can bewitch a loved one. To do this, it was necessary to squeeze juice from a charming flower, and then sprinkle with it the things of the beloved while he was sleeping. And when he wakes up, he will love the one that he sees first. An interesting story tells about why pansies were so named. But first things first.
Description
Many have heard this beautiful name more than once - pansies. Description of the plant will attract the attention of any girl. Small flowers have a three-color color. Many grow the plant as an annual, although it is a perennial belonging to the class of violets. They grow up to 15-20 cm in length. Their stems are very thin and fragile, so the flower needs good care. The leaves are oblong, fleecy. Usually the color of the plant is purple with different shades. Many people love this wonderful flower because its growing season lasts almost six months. It begins to bloom in late April, and flowers appear before the onset of the first frost. Ripening occurs in June. After that, seeds scatter from them. If you grow a plant from seeds, then it will be annual. The flower is also used in medicine. Especially useful is the lower part - the grass.
Title
Quite interesting is the legend explaining why pansies were so named. Although there are currently several versions. Let's consider each of them.
- There is a legend that says that the plant was named after a curious girl - Anyuta. She loved to spy on other people, and afterwards invented various stories about them.
- Germany has its own story about why pansies were so named. In their opinion, the lower petal, the largest, is the stepmother. Two petals, located on the sides, are smaller - these are her daughters. And the top two, having a modest color, are stepdaughters, whom she does not like. According to legend, the stepmother greatly offended her stepdaughters. The kind wizard saw this and decided to punish her. It is believed that initially the largest petal of the flower (stepmother) was on top, but subsequently, after the sorcerer’s spell, everything turned upside down - the stepmother was at the bottom, and the stepdaughter was at the top. In punishment, the evil woman received a spur, and her daughter - a mustache.
- The ancient Greeks interpreted a different story, telling why pansies were so named. Zeus fell in love with the daughter of the Argos king - Io. But his wife did not want to have rivals, so she turned a poor girl into a cow. A lot of time passed until she again managed to get a human appearance. To please her lover, Zeus gave her a three-colored violet, named in her honor.
Folk customs
As you know, all myths, legends and beliefs were created on the basis of historical data. Of course, this information was somewhat embellished, but it was of real origin. An interesting story about pansies that existed in Roman circles at the end of the 1st millennium. According to legend, men who were spying on the goddess of love were turned into a flower . The customs and traditions of different peoples are also associated with this plant. For example, in Poland, girls gave their lovers this flower if they left for a long time. In general, this violet has long symbolized fidelity and chastity. In France, they were presented for a long memory. But in England, this flower has long been the best gift for February 14th.
Other names
In the Middle Ages, the role of pansies increases markedly. They are called the flower of St. Trinity. In Poland they are called brotherhoods. This is due to the fact that several flowers "live" together in one flower, so they are presented to those who are loved as a brother. In Russia they are also called tricolor, scrofula, etc. In Germany, the plant is called simply "stepmother."
Growing violets
The pansies described above need painstaking care. Therefore, giving such a flower is not recommended if the recipient himself did not ask him to buy. After all, not everyone has the opportunity to care for the plant in full.
So what do pansies love? How to grow it? Few know about this. Basically, there are only two ways. Flowers can be planted immediately in the ground or seedlings first grown, which will then be transferred to the soil. If seeds were not collected last year, then in early spring small sprouts may appear in the same place. Violets propagate well by self-sowing, but this way they will grow randomly. In addition, this can lead to over-pollination of the plant. That is, it will change the color, size, shape of the petals. Therefore, it is recommended to plant flowers of different colors at a certain distance from each other. Otherwise, it will not be possible to maintain the purity of the variety. Want to collect seeds? Then you need to choose the plants with the largest flowers. After this, you should wait until the boxes turn yellow. You need to have time to collect the seeds before the boxes open.