By: Sarah Adams
Member of the Big Country Master Gardeners
I have always wondered why being called a “pansy” is considered an insult. Pansies are the toughest, most beautiful flowers that I plant. Pansies are known for their cheerful “faces” and wide range of colors and are among the most hardy cool-season annuals you can grow. Anyone looking for reliable color from Thanksgiving to Easter can rely on these continuous bloomers to brighten beds, containers, and borders when little else is willing to brave the cold.
Pansies and trailing violas may look delicate, but they are anything but fragile. These plants are bred from species native to Europe’s cooler climates, and over time they have developed an impressive tolerance for frigid temperatures. In many regions, pansies survive and even thrive through winter, bouncing back after weather events that leave other flowers damaged or dormant. After a night of frost, pansy foliage may appear wilted or flattened, but give them a bit of sunshine and they perk right back up. I have personally planted pansies that survived a full week of below freezing temperatures, but I am getting ahead of myself. Sure, they got a little mad after the freeze, but it did not take 3 weeks for them to bloom again. It is not uncommon to see their bright blooms peeking through a light dusting of snow, offering gardeners a burst of color when it is needed most.
To get the best performance from pansies, plant them during the cooler weather of fall or early spring. Of course, predicting when the cooler weather will stay can often be difficult to determine, but I plant mine a few weeks before Thanksgiving. This gives them some time to get established and add blooms in time for our annual Thanksgiving walk. Pansies prefer temperatures between 45°F and 65°F and will flower most vigorously during periods within this temperature range, but they will handle periods of warmer weather.
Choose a location with full to partial sun and well-draining soil. Amending the bed with compost will give them a good start, as pansies appreciate rich, moisture-retentive soil that doesn’t become waterlogged. Spacing plants 6 to 8 inches apart encourages airflow and helps prevent fungal issues. While pansies tolerate cold exceptionally well, they do appreciate consistent moisture. Water them regularly, especially during winter dry spells or after a particularly windy day, but avoid overwatering.
One of the reasons pansies remain a staple in gardens is their vast palette of colors including deep purples, sunny yellows, crisp whites, oranges, reds, and almost every combination in between. Their bright, velvety petals stand out beautifully against winter’s brown tones. To encourage blooms, pinch off the spent blooms – just make sure that you know the bloom is spent and not just starting to grow!
This year I have been surprised to see some of the flowers on my pansies disappear! I have planted pansies in pots on my porch for several years and I have never had any trouble. But this year I went outside and the big pots closest to the yard were eaten to the soil. I have yet to see any signs of which animal is the culprit, but I have learned that both rabbits and deer are my most likely candidates. I am trying two separate methods — one for the short term and one for the long term. First, I am trying a product from Bonide called Repells All. I have selected the granule form and have sprinkled them in the pots with the flowers. This is supposed to have an unappealing scent and should deter the animals from the pots. Second, I have ordered an animal deterring sprayer. It has an infrared sensor that detects movement. Once it detects movement it discharges a burst of water; hopefully, scaring them off. Some of the pansies will survive but I have replanted others so that they will be beautiful for the holiday.
I have attempted to grow pansies from seed several times and have not had much luck. Pansies need to be started indoors about 12 weeks before planting; for us, that is in August. The seeds like a cool environment and darkness until they germinate which can take as long as 21 days. As anyone who has lived in Texas can attest, cold and moist is pretty difficult to find in August. So, I just wait until the nurseries have a fall sale and buy them as transplants!
For gardeners seeking dependable winter and early-spring blooms, pansies are an unbeatable choice. Hardy, colorful, and resilient—even after a very hard freeze—they provide the kind of garden cheer that makes me smile even through the coldest months. Plant a few this season, and let their bright faces remind you that beauty thrives even in the chill of winter.
For more information, go to the AgriLife website . . . https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/browse/featured-solutions/gardening-landscaping/fall-vegetable-gardening-guide-for-texas/ Also, let us, The Big Country Master Gardeners, know if you have any questions. We hope that you will like our Facebook page and visit the Big Country Master Gardeners at https://bcmgtx.org/ for information and future events.