If you judged pansies only by their velvety, tissue thin flowers, you might assume that they were very delicate creatures but the delicate-looking blooms belie the tough, frost-resistant nature of one of our most popular cool weather garden flowers.
Pansies have been in our gardens since the Greeks and Romans used them as medicinal herbs. Modern, intensive breeding programs have provided us with an amazing array of pansy flower colors ranging from white to rich gold, purple, red, rose, maroon, orange and almost black with many shades in-between. You can choose from solid colors called clear faced pansies, to those with blotches having a darker, contrasting center referred to as faced pansies. There are two-tones and all sorts of color blends and pastel shades. Some have petals with crinkled edges and others have flowers up to 4 inches in diameter.
Most pansies are winter hardy to some extent. Some varieties are very frost resistant and can be planted in the early fall. You can enjoy blooms until the snow flies and then again in early spring. What pansies do not tolerate well is hot weather. They grow yellow and stretched with the summer heat.
Pansies prefer loose, moisture retentive soil dug deeply and enriched with compost. They thrive in full sun but can also take some partial shade. A steady supply of water is required so they need to be watered regularly if there is not sufficient rain. Add a standard all-purpose fertilizer to the water about once a month during growth. Frequent pinching of spent blooms will encourage a profusion of new bud growth.
Because pansies are low growing, they make exceptional borders and edgings filled with brilliant color. Plant a black and orange border for Halloween and fall harvest décor or plant crimson or red pansies in front of gold mums for fall color. Plan ahead - in spring you might fill in between tulips and daffodils with blue or violet pansies or plant a sunshine garden using clear colored white, orange and yellow. Replant your summer containers with pansies to take them through the fall. Press your favorite blooms for use in crafts or add the dried flowers to potpourri. Our greenhouse staff will be happy to help you choose the right plants for your fall and spring color palette.
