Quick Guide: all year, hardy, sun/semi-shade, height: 23cm/9in, width: 23cm/9in

Garden pansies, Viola x wittrockiana, are short-lived perennial hybrids. They are among the most popular of all cultivated plants, with their large, colourful flowers, bushy foliage and easy-going nature. The colour range is huge and different varieties are in bloom almost all year.

GROWING Time of planting depends on variety. Set out in moisture-retentive but well-drained soil. Add peat and/or leaf mould to chalky soils. Snip off faded flowers to ensure a succession of blooms.

PROPAGATION Divide mature plants in early spring or take 5cm/2in cuttings of non-flowering basal shoots in summer and insert in a peat/sand mixture in a cold frame. Pot on when rooted and plant out in autumn or spring.

VARIETIES Countless varieties are available, in single colours - white, yellow, apricot, red, violet and blue - and numerous combinations, often with a black blotch.

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS Leaf spot; fungi of different kinds cause pansy sickness.