Pansy is a commonly cultivated type of violet. The beautiful flowers may be purple, violet, blue, yellow, white, brown, deep red, or a mixture of these colors. The pansy is a low-growing plant that grows best in a moist location with some shade. Most garden varieties live only a year. Some varieties are perennials–that is, they live at least three years. The word pansy comes from the French word pensee, which means thought.
The pansy is also called the heartsease, ladies-delight, and stepmother’s flower. The European wild pansy, which is also known as the field pansy or Johnny-jump-up, is a perennial with much smaller flowers.
