Pansies
Majestic purple pansy taken in Spring 2005
Credit: Judy Conner
Botanical name: Viola x wittrockiana
Plant type: Flower, annual
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–colors
Credit: Judy Conner
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