Growing Tips and Planting Ideas for Pansies

Count on pansies for living color when temperatures are chilly. First developed in England in 1812, pansies still reign as the cool weather color champion.

This spreading-type pansy provides a colorful edging for planting beds. Pair it with grass-like leatherleaf sedge for a season-long show that keeps going strong even during cold temps. For pansies in beds, fertilize at planting time with water-soluble plant food to give plants a solid start. In warmer zones, don't give pansies a high-nitrogen fertilizer during September or plants may stretch.

For the best results in terms of color, cold hardiness and overall growth, buy pansies like landscapers do, picking up larger cell packs or 3- or 4-inch pots. These plants have bigger root balls, which means plants will take off more quickly in beds and containers. Check roots to make sure they’re healthy like this — having many white, fibrous roots on the outside of the root ball. The best time to plant pansies is when leaves on trees first start to change color. Soil temps should be between 45° F and 65° F.

Decorate walls and doors with a living pansy wreath. This DIY project is easy to make and even easier to maintain. Line a wire wreath form with sphagnum moss or coir, fill it with a container planting mix then insert the pansies. For the best blooms, display your wreath in a south-facing spot during fall and spring. In summer, an eastern exposure helps protect plants from the strongest sun. Deadhead pansies regularly to keep flowers coming. Water regularly.

Promote your favorite pansy to hold court as a pretty centerpiece at the family table. Newer Cool Wave varieties are a type of spreading pansy that naturally tumbles over the pot edge, neatly blanketing all exposed soil with eye-catching blossoms. This sunny bloomer is called Cool Wave Golden Yellow.

Pansy plants have shallow roots, which makes them an ideal choice for tucking into a vertical garden. This living wall features a diminutive pansy cousin, ‘Sweetheart’ Viola Magnifi Scent (Viola x hybrida), bred for beauty and fragrance. The cream-primrose petals feature mauve edging. Other plants in this living wall boast drought-tolerant personalities. The colorful cast includes Mauve Magic brachyscome, Pretty in Pink Isotoma and ‘Ascot Rainbow’ Euphorbia Sahara.

Take advantage of the new pansy breeding by adding Cool Wave Spreading pansies to window boxes where their stems will create a waterfall of bloom. For pansies in containers, mix a slow-release all-purpose fertilizer into the soil before planting. This is a key to strong growth and a steady flower show. In window boxes, team pansies with upright coppery leatherleaf sedge, like this Bronco ColorGrass sedge.

Pansies make excellent cut flowers, averaging a two-week vase life. Start with the varieties that flower farmers grow, like this Aalsmeer King Size Mix pansy, and you can expect 12-inch-long stems. To grow pansies for cutting, plant in fall and keep plants from blooming before winter. As spring unfurls, let the flower show begin. Space plants tightly — 3 to 4 inches apart — to help coax taller stems, which also form in response to longer days and warmer temperatures. Keep cutting pansies until the summer heat stalls flowering.

Tuck pansies into herb and vegetable gardens, planting either in fall or early spring. The flowers help beckon and train pollinators to visit your garden, and the extra color adds some beauty to the food-focused space. Pansies pair wonderfully with all kinds of cool-season greens: lettuce, spinach, cabbage, parsley, arugula, chives and any other favorite your family enjoys.

Adapting potted pansies as houseplants isn’t an easy gardening feat, but it’s worth a try to have those cheery blooms on hand, especially during winter. For best results, provide bright light and cool temperatures (ideally 40°F night, 60°F day). Keeping pansies on a windowsill is a great way to deliver the cool air these bloomers crave. Plants indoors may fail to form new flowers and go dormant for winter. If that occurs, barely water soil to keep roots alive, and shift pots outdoors as soon as possible in early spring.

Give your winter holiday decor a dose of fresh flowers by placing pots of pansies into a classic cachepot, like this red basket. Add a few berried stems — fresh or faux — to finish the look. This design trick works best with pansies in a single festive hue, such as these Cool Wave White spreading pansies. Other blossom shades that would work with traditional winter holiday color schemes include red, burgundy, light blue or pale primrose.

For chic fall flair, slip pansies into pumpkins or other gourds. You can either plant directly into a pumpkin that you’ve hollowed out or slip a potted pansy into a pumpkin (which may help the pumpkin last a little longer). A faux pumpkin is also a good low-maintenance option; just don't forget to include a water-catching saucer beneath pansy pots.

To make an impact in the landscape, plant pansies of the same type, spaced 4 to 6 inches apart (or as suggested on the plant tag). The visual oomph of a bed of pansies in full bloom can’t be beat. This sunny display features Panola Yellow Blotch XP pansy, a pansy bred to withstand winter weather. Smaller flowers with thicker petals shrug off rain and snow. The key to a stellar winter pansy display is early fall planting to give plants a chance to establish. The more established pansies are before winter weather arrives, the better they withstand wintry forecasts.

Versatile and beautiful, pansies blend well with annuals, edibles and even perennials. Experiment with pansy-perennial combinations in containers to find out what works best in your growing zone. This pot features a flowery duet of Cool Wave Blue pansy and White Lion Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum), a daisy adapted for cool season blooming. Other perennials that pair well with pansies include columbine (Aquilegia), Siberian bugloss (Brunnera), Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium) or wood spurge (Euphorbia amygdaloides subsp. robbiae).

When spring arrives, few flowers bring a smile like pansies. With their whiskered, friendly faces, it’s tough to turn down a pansy, which is what makes it the perfect go-to gift for Easter, Mother’s Day and any other impromptu spring gatherings. To turn an average pansy into a gift-giving beauty, slip the pot into a beribboned basket, edging with shredded filler paper. These basketed bloomers could also serve in a wedding or as a spring centerpiece. The pretty pastel pansy in this basket is Cool Wave Frost spreading pansy.

Look for pansy formula mixes with color blends to suit every season. Panola Autumn Blaze pansy boasts blossoms in burgundy and gold, shades perfect for the fall. Panola pansies are multiflora types, which open smaller flowers on shorter stems, giving plants a thick covering of blooms. Panola is an overwintering pansy, the kind that garden centers guarantee to survive winter and usher in spring with fluttering flowers. Pansies in pots won’t survive winter in colder zones, where soil can freeze solid. For best winter survival, tuck Panola pansies into planting beds.

Cool Wave Spreading pansies strut their stuff beautifully in hanging baskets with stems that cascade 18 to 24 inches. Water is one secret to success with fall-planted pansies. Water well at planting time, and be sure to water plants thoroughly before cold snaps. If the cold is strong enough to freeze the soil around pansy rootballs, roots cannot absorb water until the soil thaws.

Pansies and spring bulbs like tulips make excellent planting partners. Tuck bulbs into the soil in the fall, then add winter-hardy pansies. In spring, watch the magic unfold. This pansy is Panola XP True Blue Pansy, a multiflora type that stands up to winter chill without missing a blooming beat. To help pansies survive when temps drop below 20° F for several hours, cover plants with a frost blanket or a 2- to 4-inch-thick loose mulch like pine straw (gently rake it off when air temps rise). Healthy pansies can typically withstand single digits for short spells without extra protection.

For a can’t-miss color show, fill beds with pansies in single colors, or buy what’s known as a “formula mix,” a custom color blend created by plant breeders to open in eye-pleasing shades. The lower bed (above) features a formula mix sold as Cool Wave Berries ‘N Creme Mixture spreading pansy.

Create a colorful container garden packed with annuals that thrive during cool weather, including Anytime Pansiola, a heat-tolerant pansy that’s winter hardy in Zones 5 and higher. It pairs beautifully with Dark Knight sweet Alyssum and Sunsatia Lemon nemesia. In pots or planting beds, removing faded and frost-damaged pansy flowers keeps plants from forming seed pods and reduces disease outbreaks.

Count on pansies to design landscape plantings featuring single colors. All but the white blossoms in this bed are Panola pansies, a multiflora type that unfurls high numbers of smaller flowers. In landscape beds, give pansies plenty of space, arranging plants 8 or 10 inches apart. It may look sparse at first, but plants will fill out. Wider spacing provides good air circulation around plants, lowering the chances of disease or pest outbreaks.