Time For Pansies

 It is time for those beautiful faces of fall! Pansies and violas have been a staple for the flower lover's fall garden for ages. With their little faces beaming in the cooler temps of the fall, and even through the winter, they are sure to brighten up a dreary day when all the world is cloaked in browns and grays. Each variety of pansy has its very own personality- from the faces that laugh, to the faces that are grumpy, there is no shortage of emotions.
Pansies and violas are not the same. However, most people refer to them all as simply, pansies. For the sake of this article, we will too. Since their requirements and their growth habits are almost identical we will cut the confusion and refer to them collectively as pansies.

  It is a known fact that pansies and violas don't thrive in hot weather, so sometimes getting them started may be a bit slow as the temperatures are still very warm in the early part of the fall. There hasn't been much success, as of yet,  in producing a heat-tolerant pansy so most gardeners treat the pansy as a winter annual as they really tend to get very leggy in the heat of the summer.
Pansies can be a bit temperamental when starting from seed. It is best to buy established plants from your local garden center or plant nursery. This will give them a better chance of surviving the last days of heat from the summer, and you
will see blooms a lot sooner.
Pansies need damp but well-drained soil. After they are established they can tolerate mild drought conditions for short periods of time. Your pansies will thrive in full sun, at at least a half day of sun.
When the winter temperatures arrive, you will find that your pansies are quite tolerant of frost and even single digit temps. The blooms may darken or wilt after freezing but will produce more blooms and bounce back quite well. They have even been seen peeking through a light dusting of snow.

  When pansies get established and begin to thrive they will mound to about 9 to 12 inches across and 6 to 9 inches tall. They are a great addition to the edge of your potted evergreens or just in a pot alone as their colors are so bright and cheerful.They make any space a happy space.
  Remember to water your pansies regularly, even in winter. the ground is never frozen for long around here. While they will tolerate some dryer conditions for short periods of time you will see them thrive if they are not allowed to stay dry for too long. A slow-release fertilizer is recommended to help your pansies grow but you want to stay away from fertilizers with a high nitrogen content as this may hamper the bloom production and you will end up with more foliage than blooms. We recommend adding the timed release fertilizer when planting and again in the early spring. If you  pinch off the faded blooms, this will encourage the plant to produce more blooms and it will help to prolong the blooming season.
 Pansies will survive the winter and will begin to thrive again in the early spring until the temps get too hot. So if you plant pansies for fall you can enjoy them through the following spring which will cut down on your spring planting chores.
  You can create some beautiful yardscapes for fall using pansies and pumpkins sitting among corn stalks or straw bales and fall mums and gourds. Or if you are hosting Thanksgiving at your house you can snip a few blooms to add to florist foam or a short vase to bring some of those colorful smiling faces to your gathering. Pansy blooms are edible! You can add them as a beautiful garnish to your fall dishes or you can dress up a cake or apple pie. Their beauty is full of endless possibilities.
 When you look out your window and see the upturned faces in your pansy garden or pots, it is sure to make you smile. Sometimes you just need some color in the middle of a dull, dreary fall and winter setting. Pansies- the flower that smiles back!

HAPPY GARDENING!


Check out this beautiful collection of pansy photographs and some insight into their quirky personality.
By: Scott D. Appell
https://www.amazon.com/Pansies-Scott-D-Appell/dp/1567997716