As some of the earliest annuals to bloom , cheery , open - faced pansies bring smiling to many winter - aweary nurseryman . Like all member of the Violaceae sept , low - growing pansies have five stamen and five petal – the longest of which often has a which has a nectar - filled branch line , according to the Discover Life web site ’s Christy Hetzel . As pansies ' relatives , violet have smaller , but similar , flowers . A handful of other plants also have pansy - similar blooms . Both pansies and violet do serious in cool atmospheric condition .

Pioneer Violet

Pioneer violet ( Viloa mesophyron ) is a common sight in the woods of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest . digest from 4 to 8 inches mellow , it has thin shank rising from a clump of vivid green , heart - shaped leaves . Between March and July , pioneer reddish blue brighten the timber specter with brilliant white-livered , purplish - veined , pansy - like blossom . Like pansies , the fragrant , outward - face blooms have ambrosia - filled , spur lower petal . The plants love moist to wet locations in fond to full shade .

Birdfoot Violet

Another clopping repeated , birdfoot violet ( Viola pedata ) develop in opened woodlands across most of the United States . Four to 10 inches high , it has long - stemmed , green leaves resembling birds ' foot . Its May to July flowers are pale blue - violet , with a deep blue - violet veined lower petal . Orange stamen with yellow anthers , an optic - catch contrast , draw bee and butterfly to the blooms . Birdfoot violet like well - drained , suspect locations and dry , acid – pH below 6.8 – sandlike soil , according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center .

Canadian White Violet

Canadian snowy violet ( Viola canadensis ) , a comparatively tall 16 - column inch violet , grows in moist woods from Canada south to Georgia and Arizona . Its yellow - focus on , fragrant ashen flowers appear above dark green , heart - shaped foliage between May and July . Their low petals have brownish - purple veins . This violet likes full shade and prolific , moist land with a neutral pH , according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center .

Pink Plains Penstemon

One plant life with pansy - like blooms that does n’t belong to the Violet household is pink plains penstemon ( Penstermon ambibuus ) . This mounding perennial aboriginal to plain and mesas from Kansas to the Great Basin stand from 12 inches to 3 feet tall . Its slight , erect stems spring up from a woody base to produce pale pinko , blooms from spring until fall . Their five - petaled , pansy present sit atop purpleness - throated tubes , according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center .

Plants bloom most abundantly during May and sporadically – count on rainfall amounts – after that . Thread - minute foliage that conserves moisture make this penstemon hotness and drouth - repellent . Wild plant develop in partly louche locations with dry , sandy grunge . observe that consume this penstemon is toxic .

References

…