That would be Lady Mary Elizabeth Bennet (1785–1861.) She obsessively cultivated every sort of Viola tricolor in her father's garden at Walton-on-Thames, Surrey.
Eventually she and her gardener produced a variety of flowers through cross-breeding. In 1812, they introduced pansies to the horticultural world and the rest is history. Pansies became one of the most beloved and common garden flowers.
All the flashy viola hybrids today originated from this little wild European pansy called "Heartsease," known for its cardiac and other medicinal uses. They say a fairy lives in every pansy flower.
A nice day coming up in Seattle, sunny and getting close to 60. Then rain and chilly temperatures again tomorrow with (good heavens) still more snow in the mountains. Snoqualmie Pass had one of the highest snow levels ever, with 114 inches on the ground.
When spring is in full bloom, it's hard to believe this scene is only about 50 miles away.
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