Pansy

Sun

Full sun in cool climates; morning sun and afternoon shade where spring becomes hot.

Water

Keep the root zone evenly moist but not waterlogged. Containers may need frequent watering during dry or windy weather.

Soil

Fertile, moisture-retentive, well-drained soil; use fresh multipurpose potting compost in containers.

Height

0.5-0.75 ft (0.15-0.23 m)

Spread

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m)

Flowers

Spring to early summer in cold climates; autumn through spring in mild climates. Flowers come in white, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, blue and near-black, often with contrasting faces or blotches.

Foliage

Low clumps of green, oval to rounded leaves with shallowly scalloped edges; foliage can persist through mild winters.

Growth

Fast; young plants can reach flowering size within one growing season.

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.5 ft (0.15 m)

2. After 1 year

   0.6 ft (0.19 m)

   full size

Full size in one season.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Fast

• Water at soil level when the surface begins to dry; do not leave pots standing in water.
• Feed container plants every two to three weeks with a balanced liquid fertiliser at the label rate.
• Space plants about 0.5-0.75 ft (0.15-0.23 m) apart to allow air movement.
• Apply a thin mulch around bedding plants, keeping it away from their crowns.
• Protect autumn-planted pansies from drying winds and prolonged hard freezes with breathable fleece.

Pruning. Remove faded flowers and developing seed capsules regularly to encourage more blooms. In cool weather, trim leggy stems back to leafy growth; replace plants that collapse in summer heat.

Late winter

In mild climates, remove damaged leaves and faded flowers; check that winter containers drain freely.

Early spring

Plant hardened-off young plants once the soil is workable and severe freezes have passed.

Late spring

Deadhead regularly, feed containers and watch for aphids on new growth.

Summer

Remove heat-exhausted plants. In cool climates, keep remaining plants watered and sheltered from strong afternoon sun.

Early autumn

In mild-winter regions, plant fresh pansies after summer heat eases, allowing time for roots to establish.

Late autumn

Clear fallen leaves from plants and prepare fleece protection where prolonged hard freezes are expected.

• Edge spring beds with low bands of colour beneath tulips and daffodils.
• Fill window boxes and doorstep pots with repeat-flowering cool-season displays.
• Plant in regular blocks for formal bedding schemes, choosing one colour or a restrained mix.
• Combine with primroses and forget-me-nots for a soft cottage-garden display.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Traditional, Formal, Victorian, Small-space and Winter interest.

Plant it with: Tulips, Daffodils, Primroses, Forget-me-nots, Sweet alyssum and English daisies.

Wildlife: Flowers can attract bees and other insects, although nectar access and value vary among cultivars. Pansies are not a substitute for a varied planting of nectar-rich flowers.

• Slugs and snails chew leaves and flowers: inspect after dark, remove hiding places and use labelled iron-phosphate bait if needed.
• Aphids cluster on buds and new shoots: wash them off with water or use insecticidal soap according to its label.
• Grey mould causes fuzzy growth and rotting flowers in damp conditions: remove affected material, improve spacing and avoid wetting flowers.
• Root and crown rot cause wilting despite wet soil: discard badly affected plants, improve drainage and avoid planting crowns too deeply.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people. Flowers are edible when correctly identified and grown without unsuitable pesticide treatments; ornamental nursery plants should not be assumed safe to eat. Eating large amounts of plant material may cause stomach upset.

• Heartsease (Viola tricolor)

  Usually has much smaller flowers with a yellow lower petal, pale middle petals and purple upper petals; garden pansies generally have larger, broader, more overlapping petals.

• Horned violet (Viola cornuta)

  Usually has smaller, more numerous flowers with a conspicuous slender spur behind each bloom. Hybrid bedding violas can blur this distinction.

Pansy comes from the French pensée, meaning 'thought', while wittrockiana honours the Swedish botanist Veit Brecher Wittrock.

Propagation. Sow seed in trays, cover lightly and keep cool and evenly moist until germination. Allow roughly 10-14 weeks to produce flowering plants, depending on temperature and cultivar. Seed saved from hybrids may not resemble the parent; buying young plants gives more predictable results.

Accepted botanical name

Viola wittrockiana

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.