A floral favorite to start growing while the weather is still cool, author Brenna Estrada explores the world of petite petals in her new book Pansies: How to Grow, Reimagine, and Create Beauty with Pansies and Violas, offering growing tips and unusual variety recommendations, along with unique applications for crafts, recipes, and even apothecary.
Often overlooked and used solely as a border groundcover or container accent, Brenna proves that pansies can be a powerful pop when used in cut flower bouquets. Just in time for seed sowing, she’s curated five petal-perfect pansy pairings, each guaranteed to inspire a spring refresh out in your garden and inside your home.
From Pansies by Brenna Estrada copyright © 2025. Photographs by Kelly Bowie. Published by Timber Press.
Hazy Hues
Flower Varieties: Pansy ‘Flamenco Soft Light Azure Limonette’ & Pansy ‘Magnum Lilac Shades’
Why It Works: Purple was my favorite color as a child. These two varieties are some of the softest and most romantic shades of purple I have seen in a flower. ‘Flamenco Soft Light Azure Limonette’ is a ruffled Italian variety that brings in the palest of lilac, alabaster, and oyster tones while sending out some blooms in deeper violets and orchid pinks. All blooms have a drop of lemon yellow at the eye. ‘Magnum Lilac Shades’ is larger in bloom size and shares many of the same shades of purple. They are really beautiful together.
From Pansies by Brenna Estrada copyright © 2025. Photographs by Kelly Bowie. Published by Timber Press.
Pressing Party
Flower Varieties: Pansy ‘Rococo’ & Pansy ‘Frizzle Sizzle Lemonberry’
Why It Works: If you like contrasting colors and stark patterns, these two varieties are easy showstoppers. ‘Rococo’ blooms in shades of gold, crimson, burgundy, and eggplant with white flushes and beautifully patterned blotches. ‘Frizzle Sizzle Lemonberry’ matches the gold and purple in color and shares a similar pattern. Both of these varieties are really wonderful for pressed flower work.
From Pansies by Brenna Estrada copyright © 2025. Photographs by Kelly Bowie. Published by Timber Press.
Trending Tones
Flower Varieties: Pansy ‘Imperial Antique Shades’ & Pansy ‘Nature Antique Shades’
Why It Works: Warm blush, smoky peach, and honey gold—three colors that are highly desired by both growers and floral designers right now. These two varieties come in all three of those shades and several shades in between. They have great stems for cutting and are a top pick for filling vases. These are also my top picks for decorating cakes; they look really lovely with a bare cake, cream frosting, or a white chocolate drizzle.
From Pansies by Brenna Estrada copyright © 2025. Photographs by Kelly Bowie. Published by Timber Press.
Culinary Companions
Flower Varieties: Viola ‘Arkwright Ruby’ & Viola ‘Tiger Eye’
Why It Works: Although red is my favorite color in general, it is not my favorite for flowers. In fact, I prefer to only grow a few pansies in shades of red. But the shade of red that is ‘Arkwright Ruby’ is exceptionally lovely. It varies from ruby to garnet to deep burgundy and has a modest dark blotch with a glowing spot of gold. It also is possibly the best viola for cut flower use, as it grows such easy, long stems. I think it is really lovely when paired with Viola ‘Tiger Eye,’ as both flowers share the same palette. ‘Tiger Eye’ comes in pale gold, deep cinnamon red, and a mix of both. It has marvelous veining across the entire flower—it is very unique and quite a marvel among flowers. These two are a favorite of mine in the kitchen, particularly for sprinkling on pastas and soups.
From Pansies by Brenna Estrada copyright © 2025. Photographs by Kelly Bowie. Published by Timber Press.
Painter’s Palette
Flower Varieties: Viola ‘Brush Strokes’ & Viola ‘Gem Apricot Antique’
Why It Works: ‘Brush Strokes’ truly looks as though every flower was meticulously painted with a tiny paintbrush. Multiple colors and patterns grace each and every flower, with no two being exactly alike. The palette is vast, from terra-cotta to mahogany, apricot to tangerine, and antique gold to bronze. Cream, rose pink, and plum also appear throughout the blooms. If you love to sketch and paint flowers, this one is definitely worth focusing your attention on. ‘Gem Apricot Antique’ is of a similar size, and the colors are complimentary. ‘Gem Apricot Antique’ fades with breathtaking tones of sepia and lunar blue, making it especially lovely to paint in its final days.
Buy the Book
From Pansies by Brenna Estrada copyright © 2025. Photographs by Kelly Bowie. Published by Timber Press.
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