Pansies: How to Grow, Reimagine, and Create Beauty with Pansies and Violas, published by Timber Press and written by flower farmer and pansy specialist Brenna Estrada, delivers an authoritative and visually captivating resource that redefines the role of pansies in contemporary horticulture. For growers, designers, and advanced hobbyists alike, Estrada’s work provides an indispensable roadmap to unlocking the full horticultural and design potential of this underappreciated yet resilient flower.

Drawing from her experience at the renowned Floret Flower Farm and years of field testing on her own operation, Estrada has refined a technique for cultivating pansies in full sun. The result is a crop with enhanced stem length, more pronounced fragrance, and a broader palette of intense colour tones—features increasingly in demand among florists and speciality plant retailers. By trialling more than 100 varieties annually, Estrada has developed a robust, data-backed approach that sets a new benchmark for pansy production.

This book goes well beyond standard cultivation advice. It provides 50 detailed profiles of pansy and viola cultivars, complete with technical insights into colour stability, seasonality, scent profiles, and suitability for cut-flower use. High-quality photography underscores the market appeal of these selections, enabling growers and floral designers to make informed choices about integrating pansies into their crop plans or design portfolios.

In addition, Estrada offers guidance on seed saving, pest and disease resilience, and best practices for maintaining vigorous stock year after year—critical considerations for professional growers facing sustainability and input-cost pressures. For retailers or florists interested in diversifying their offerings, the book also includes creative applications, such as using pansies as edible flowers, incorporating them into apothecary formulations, or showcasing them as showpieces in high-end arrangements.

Estrada enriches her horticultural expertise with a deep exploration of the pansy’s cultural and historical relevance, helping professionals position this flower in marketing narratives that connect with customers’ sense of nostalgia and artistry. From its humble wildflower origins to its current status as a design-forward statement bloom, the pansy has a story worth telling—and selling.

Estrada’s personal background brings additional credibility. Following five years in the U.S. Marine Corps and sixteen years as a 911 dispatcher, she shifted her career toward speciality flower farming, where she now channels precision, discipline, and creativity into expanding pansy genetics and availability. Based on an island farm with her family, Estrada continues her mission of making rare and speciality pansy seeds accessible to growers of every scale.

For growers seeking to elevate their pansy program or designers in search of fresh, resilient, and high-impact blooms, Pansies stands out as a comprehensive, practical, and inspiring resource. Estrada’s book will no doubt serve as a valuable reference for anyone ready to push the boundaries of what pansies can be in the modern marketplace.