Fresh Ways to Decorate with Pansies and Violas
Fresh Ways to Decorate with Pansies and Violas
As cool-weather flowers go, they don’t get much cuter than pansies and violas! It’s hard not to smile when you spot their fun colors and cheerful “face-like” markings, so we’re on a mission this year to use these easy-to-grow flowers everywhere; in the garden, indoors, and even on the table!
Spread some cheer through your home from the inside out with these fun ways to decorate with pansies and violas.
Cheerful Containers
Both pansies and violas are best known for being excellent “filler” flowers for garden pots and planters. However, despite their modest size, their bold colors make them just as capable of standing out on their own. You can find pansies and violas in almost every color and color combination imaginable, so it’s easy to come up with head-turning arrangements filled with bright, contrasting tones. Here are some great color combo ideas to try in your late winter to early spring plant containers and hanging baskets!
● Periwinkle + White + Yellow
● Gold + Orange + Purple
● Burgundy + Gold + Purple
● Pink + Yellow + White
● Indigo + Gold + Orange
TIP: A white, wide-mouthed planter, like the Bradford Oval Cache Planter or Bradford Footed Bowl, will draw the eye to your flowers and make their colors pop!
TIP: Regularly amending your garden soil with compost will keep your plants healthy and their colors bright!
Bold Bouquets
If you love to keep your vases topped up with fresh-cut flowers, pansies and violas are perfect for zhuzhing up your bouquets. Since they’re a relatively low-profile flower, you can add some fabulous texture or a pop of color to large bouquets by using pansies as filler flowers. For example, consider pairing pink roses with pink-and-yellow-faced pansies. Or, imagine a neutral white bouquet studded with these unbelievable tiger eye violas!
TIP: Your choice of vase matters when it comes to your bouquets! The right vase should balance the shape of the bouquet and not compete with the flower colors or shapes.
Cute Cuttings
If big, voluminous bouquets aren’t quite your style, you can also add easy elegance to any room with a little handful of pansies or violas placed in a small-yet-pretty glass of water. This is such a simple way to bring a little personality to a small dining table, a bathroom counter, or your kitchen windowsill. Or, for more of a statement, you can group your cuttings into tiered arrangements.
TIP: Small bud vases are also wonderful vessels for cuttings of five or fewer pansy or viola stems.
Sweet Treats
Finally, the last surface you haven’t yet showered with flowers—your plate! Yes, pansies and violas are edible, and they make everything look tastier, cuter, and we daresay, more expensive. You can add a fresh-cut viola or pansy to any dish as a final flourish, or sprinkle them across your tablecloth for a special dinner, or use them as a luxe finish for handcrafted cocktails. But, where these sweet blooms shine the most is on your dessert tray!
Use fresh pansies and violas to garnish:
● Lemon tarts and cakes
● Cupcakes
● Pavlova
● Ice cream, Sorbet, or Gelato
● Creme Brulee
Or, next time you bake bread, pat some fresh flowers in the middle of the dough before baking to give your homemade loaves a special touch.
TIP: Want to step up the fanciness? Sugared pansies or violas turn the fresh flowers into glittering confections. Here’s how to make them at home!
Recipe: Sugared Pansies and Violas
Note: Make sure to choose pesticide-free flowers if you plan to eat them!
Ingredients:
● Fresh pansies and/or violas
● Baking sheet
● 1 egg white
● 5 drops vodka
● Superfine sugar and/or edible glitter
● Small, clean, flat paintbrush
● Tweezers or one chopstick
● Parchment paper
Instructions:
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place flowers on a sheet, face up.
2. Beat vodka and egg whites until frothy.
3. Using the paintbrush, gently apply a very light coat of egg mixture to individual flowers, holding the flowers still using tweezers or a chopstick.
4. Sprinkle delicately with superfine sugar and a dusting of edible glitter, if desired.
5. Allow to sit on a baking sheet at room temperature for 12-24 hours. Store in an airtight container in single layers for up to five months.
Use Sugar Flowers on:
● Cookies
● Baking sheet
● Cupcakes
● Macarons
● Cakes for Special Occasions