Half-price winter pansies (2024)

FAQs

How long will winter pansies live? ›

Winter pansies will bloom for five to eight months if cared for properly, which means you get a lot of color for a large portion of the year. Plus, winter pansies can return for three years or more. While winter pansies are very tolerant of the cold, they grow the best in sunlight.

Unlike summer pansies, winter pansies are grown specifically for cold weather and are hardy enough to survive frosts and even a dusting of snow.

Pansy. Pansies have a tolerance to low-temperatures and actually thrive in cool weather (40°-60°F) (Kwon 1992). They are capable of surviving temperatures down to the single digits, but when the air temperature drops below 25°F, pansy foliage will wilt and turn a gray-green color.

Winter pansies also grow well in containers. "I would recommend placing them in containers that you can move inside to protect them from the extreme winter weather," says Langelo. Be sure the container you grow them in has holes in the bottom before adding soil. Fill the soil just under the rim of the pot.

Pansies like full or partial sun, but need cooler temperatures to thrive. The ideal planting site will get morning sun but avoid the heat of the late afternoon. 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.

In general, pansies can be planted in early spring or late summer/early fall. In cooler climates, plant pansies in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked. In warmer climates, pansies can be planted in late summer or early fall for blooms throughout the fall, winter, and early spring months.

Pansy rootgrowth improves dramatically as temperatures decrease from 75-55¡ F. At55¡ F, cell packs can be so full that the roots push the sides of theplastic outward, while at temperatures greater than 70¡ F, the roots ofmature plants may be insufficient to hold the root ball intact.

Place pansies where they will receive the full sun or partial shade. The new types thrive in full sun. Too much shade reduces the number of flowers and flower size, and makes pansies spindly. Space plants for bedding about 7 to 12 inches apart.

Epsom salt can deliver great results in gardens that have a magnesium deficiency when used correctly. Roses, tomatoes, peppers, pansies, petunias, and impatiens particularly love Epsom salt, and all need high levels of magnesium for optimal growth.

How often should I water pansies? ›

One of the most common reasons that pansies don't do well is due to them not getting enough water. For pansies in containers, if the temperatures are warm, they may even need to be watered twice a day. Always check the soil if in doubt. If the top inch of the soil is dry, you will want to water.

Heat-loving clematis, daylilies, peonies, sunflowers, and cosmos should be avoided with Pansies. Aquatic and bog plants are also not great companions for Pansies, which require well-draining soil for healthy growth.

Use pansy fertilizers with 15-2-20, 15-3-30 or 13-2-13 ratios, which provide adequate levels of calcium, magnesium and micros, but have low amounts of phosphorus and ammoniacal nitrogen. Then use a fertilizer like 21-5-20, which is acidic and has a low amount of phosphorus.

The pansy's Achilles heel is the heat of summer. High temperatures cause them to become leggy and pale with few blooms. I usually dispose of pansies in the height of summer and replace them with heat-tolerant annuals, but pansies can be cut back and mulched in the summer to await cooler fall weather.

However, pansies are usually grown as annuals in most areas of the U.S. or as biennials in areas with cool summers and mild winters. Pansies (Viola x wittrockiana) don't reliably keep coming back year after year unless they self-seed.

Pinch seed pods to help your pansies bloom again.

Pansy seeds will grow in long fall climates or they'll remain dormant until the next spring in many areas. Therefore, in order to fool pansies into blooming again, you will need to remove the seed pods before the seeds fully form.