Majestic purple pansy taken in Spring 2005
Credit: Judy Conner
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EmailBotanical name: Viola x wittrockiana
Plant type: Flower
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Sun exposure: Full Sun
Flower color: Red, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Purple, White
Bloom time: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
Pansies are hardy annuals whose flowers have "faces." These plants offer colorful flowers for any season in your garden. They have one of the widest ranges of colors and are good for containers, borders, and ground covers.
Planting
- You can start pansy seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before you plan on transplanting them.
- Plant seeds in late winter for early spring and summer flowering, or plant seeds in the summer for winter flowering.
- Plant in moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Pansies like sun and cooler temperatures.
- Space the plants about 7 to 12 inches apart. They will spread about 9 to 12 inches and grow to be about 6 to 9 inches tall.
Care
- Remember to water your pansies regularly. One of the most common reasons pansies fail is because they are not watered enough, so if your pansies are not doing well, try watering them more.
- You can use a general, all-purpose fertilizer around your pansies to help them grow.
- Remove faded/dead flowers to prolong blooming and encourage more flowers to grow.
Pests
- Mosaic viruses
- Downy mildew
- Powdery mildew
- Crown and root rot
- Rust
- Gray mold
- Spot anthracnose
- Slugs, snails, and aphids
Recommended Varieties
- Jolly Joker, which blooms in spring and summer and has orange flowers with deep purple upper petals and a purple outline.
- Princess Series, which offer a variety of colors such as blue, purple, and yellow.
- Fama Series, which flowers in winter and spring and offers a wide variety of single– and mixed–colored flowe
E-Cards
Comments
I live in northwestern
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By sheeprule99 on June 5
I live in northwestern Pennsylvania. I planted some pansies that are starting to get tall/leggy into 8" pots for a baby shower in mid-July. Any tips for how to make them grow fuller in the pots and keep them blooming until the shower?
Feed your pansies regularly
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By Almanac Staff on June 7
Feed your pansies regularly using a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10. If they are getting leggy, prune them back by about 1/3. Be sure to leave some foliage behind in order for the plant to obtain energy for re-growth. Deadhead (remove spent blooms) regularly.
My pansies have gotten tall
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By Leslie Peterse on June 3
My pansies have gotten tall and are falling over . There are still blooms . Can I cut them back so they will bush out?
Pansies enjoy full sun in
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By Almanac Staff on June 4
Pansies enjoy full sun in cool weather. They get tall when it's too shady or they're facing the heat of summer. Cut back the plants by one third will stimulate new growth; pinch back spent blooms (deadhead) to encourage more flowers.
Do pansies bloom all
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By Suzanne Filgate on June 3
Do pansies bloom all summer.I'm in Wells Maine the plants are in part shade with some afternoon sun they seen to like it and are doing well but someone told me they're a spring bloom plant.
They produce their best
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By Almanac Staff on June 4
They produce their best flowers in the spring when the weather is
mild, then fade and are usually discarded when really hot weather arrives. In cool areas, pansies may last longer! In areas where long periods without frost are common, strong pansy plants will bloom in the fall and even in the winter.
I bought already planted
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By Nicky Butt on May 24
I bought already planted pansies in a beautiful planter, My parents seem to think they may die from it being over crowded. I believe as long as I keep removing the dryed out dead stuff it should be fine, is it really necessary to re-plant or when should pansies be re-planted
My pansies are in the sun
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By Kathy Miracle on May 21
My pansies are in the sun most of the day and are looking like they are almost dead. I water them daily. What am I doing wrong? Also how do you deadhead the pansies?
It sounds as if you are
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By Almanac Staff on June 4
It sounds as if you are overwatering--and their roots may have rotted. Pansies only need about 1 inch of water during the growing season; water if it doesn't get this amount in rain. It's a good idea to deadhead to encourage longer life and blooms; just pinch off spent flowers.
pansies in the summer
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By Anonymous
I planted pansies in a windowbox in March (I live in ky) and they have been doing beautifully, but I do not think they will hold up for the summer heat, there. Any suggestions?
pansies and heat
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By Almanac Staff
Pansies, as you've suspected, like things cool. When the heat of summer comes, they get scraggly and blooming slows or stops. If you keep up with watering, deadhead the flowers after they fade, and shear the plants back hard after most flowering has stopped, you might keep them alive until fall, when they sometimes bloom again. Otherwise, you can replace them with summer-bloomers. Also, when selecting pansies, look for more heat-tolerant varieties, such as the Panola series.
Container planting
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By Anonymous
I want to use containers for my pansies. How many plants and distance apart is appropriate? I'm using rectangular planters approx. 6 inches high by 18 inches wide.
How deep?
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By Anonymous
How deep do you plant them when they are seeds?
pansy seed planting depth
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By Almanac Staff
Plant pansy seeds about 1/8-inch deep. They need the soil to be about 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, and they need darkness to germinate.
Pansy leaves are turning yellow white
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By Anonymous
Lately my pansy leaves have been turning yellow white around the bottom of the plant. Is this normal?
Mine do that, too. I think
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By Anonymous
Mine do that, too. I think it's from getting wet & then the sun bleaches them.
zone 5
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By Anonymous
Can you tell me what the white w/ purple pansy is called. And please which group does it belong to, like Joker, Princess etc. Thank you
This pansy variety is "Pansy
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By Almanac Staff
This pansy variety is "Pansy Colossus" and the white color with the purple is called "Pansy Blotch White Colossus."
companion planting
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By Anonymous
I want to plant pansies in my veggie garden to add color, and because I've heard they are edible. Are there any specific companion planting do's or don't regarding interplanting pansies with vegetables or herbs?
The edible pansy is called
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By Almanac Staff
The edible pansy is called "Viola x wittrockiana" and is an annual. Growing edible flowers is essentially the same as growing flowers for ornamental purposes in terms of sunlight, soil, water requirements, and so forth. Do not use chemicals since you'll be eating it. Pansies add color in cooler months and good companion plants are ornamental kale and cabbage--and snapdragons for a taller backdrop. We have tips on growing edible flowers in the Garden-Fresh Cookbook. Here is a blog about growing edible flowers: http://www.almanac.com/blog/cooking-blog/garden-trend-edible-flowers
What is my hardiness zone in RI
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By Anonymous
What zone am I in Portsmouth, Rhode Island?
See the hardiness zone map
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By Almanac Staff
See the hardiness zone map page here: http://www.almanac.com/content/plant-hardiness-zones
How to revive pansies
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By Anonymous
I live in southern Ohio and bought a flat of pansies in late Feb because it was so warm tend because they were bred to go to 29 degrees. Well I've spent the last month moving them in and out of the garage as temps went to 20 some nights. But they looked good until I made the mistake leaving them outside for the past four nights when temps dipped to 26 at night and 44 in the day. They look pretty bad. They are in pots.. The good news is this is the last cool night and then highs of 60 and lows of 40! Will they make it? Should I cut back? Thank you!
Pansies are quite winter
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By Almanac Staff
Pansies are quite winter hardy. They can even freeze solid and then defrost to slowly bloom again. They protect themselves in cold weather by temporarily wilting. That said, they do not like it when there are extremes from hot to cold. When it warms up, give them a shot of fertilizer and hope they will bounce back.
trimming
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By Anonymous
can i trim the dead leafs or do i leave them alone?
You can safely trim dead or
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By Almanac Staff
You can safely trim dead or yellowed leaves.
Planting Pansies
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By Anonymous
Is it too early to plant my pansy seeds? Southeast VA.
Pansies aren't easy to grow
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By Almanac Staff
Pansies aren't easy to grow from seed; start indoors in potting soil in a plastic flat about 12 weeks prior to last heavy frost, then harden off and plant outside after frost. Here are frost dates: http://www.almanac.com/content/frost-chart-united-states
You may be interested in our list of best flowers to start indoors:
http://www.almanac.com/content/flowers-annuals-and-perennials-start-indoors
Watering
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By Anonymous
How was water should I give them? Should 1 cup a day suffice?
Normally, you'd water pansies
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By Catherine Boeckmann
Normally, you'd water pansies about 1 inch per week. However, in the winter time in pots, just water when the soil is dry below the surface. Put your finger in the dirt up to an inch below the surface--the first knuckle. When it's dry, water.
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