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How to Grow Pansies: The Complete Pansy Flower Guide

yellow and purple pansies in terracotta pots
Photo Credit
Pixabay
Botanical Name
Viola x wittrockiana
Plant Type
Flower
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Part Sun
Soil pH
Slightly Acidic to Neutral
Bloom Time
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Flower Color
Blue
Multicolor
Orange
Pink
Purple
Red
White
Yellow
Hardiness Zone
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Special Features
Attracts Butterflies

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Planting, Growing, and Caring for Pansies

Catherine Boeckmann
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Pansies are the cheerful flowers with upturned “faces.” They love cool weather and are popular for growing in spring and fall. They’re also edible, adding color to salads, drinks, and cakes. Here’s how to plant pansies and keep them growing and blooming for bright, happy gardens and containers.

About Pansies

Pansies are a type of Viola (Viola × wittrockiana) with large heart-shaped, overlapping petals and one of the widest ranges of bright, pretty colors and patterns.

Suitable for containers and borders and as ground cover, they are a go-to flower for reliable color almost year-round in some places. Pansies look pretty in a monochrome scheme or mixed colors; they also look pretty when planted with other cool-season flowers such as primroses, trailing lobelia, and sweet alyssum.

Are Pansies Annual or Perennial Flowers? 

Most gardeners treat pansies (and all violas) as an annual, but they’re actually hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 3-8. They tend to get too leggy in the heat of summer. There hasn’t been much success in producing heat-tolerant pansies that can adequately survive hot weather.

Pansies are surprisingly hearty in cold weather, though. They’ll survive a frost, bouncing back from even single-digit temperatures. If the blooms wither in the cold, the plants will often stay alive to bloom again, which makes them a great flowering plant for fall and early winter color.

Pansies in a field

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Planting

Plant in moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil. See our articles on soil amendments and preparing soil for planting for more information. 

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

Space the plants about 7 to 12 inches apart. They will spread about 9 to 12 inches and grow about 6 to 9 inches tall.

“A technique gaining in popularity is to plant spring blooming bulbs in fall in the usual fashion, and then install pansies in the same bed, right over the bulbs,” explains Sherri Saunders from the University of Arkansas. “The bulbs will emerge and bloom, providing additional color while the bulb foliage ripens.  This is a great way to get more color from your beds until it’s time to plant summer annuals.”

When to Plant Pansies

  • Pansies can be planted in the early spring or in the fall. 
  • Pansies can be finicky to start from seed; buying established plants from a local nursery is a lot easier. Plus, you’ll get blooms a lot sooner.
  • But if you want to start from seed, start pansy seeds indoors in late winter, 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost, for early spring and summer flowering. Or, start seeds in late summer for fall and winter flowering. Pansy seeds may be slow to germinate (typically emerging in anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks, depending on soil temperature).
  • Set pansy plants in the ground when it becomes workable in the spring. They grow best when soil temperatures are between 45°F and 65°F (7°C and 18°C).
  • Pansies can tolerate a light frost just after planting, but try to hold off on putting them in the ground if temperatures are still regularly reaching well below freezing.

Growing Pansies in Pots

  • Pansies are great for containers. Just use standard potting soil designed for containers.
  • Plant in portable containers (12 inches or less in diameter) so the plants can be moved to a cooler area when the sun starts to get stronger. Early in the spring season or in the fall, a south-facing patio might be the perfect spot. During the summer, move pansies to the east side of your home for morning sun and afternoon shade.

Growing

How to Care for Pansies

  • Remember to water pansies regularly. One of the most common reasons pansies fail is that they are not watered enough, so if they are not doing well, try watering them more.
  • You can use a general, all-purpose fertilizer around your pansies to help them grow. Be wary of using a nitrogen-heavy fertilizer, as this can result in more foliage than flowers.
  • Remove faded/dead flowers to encourage the plants to produce more blooms and prolong the blooming season. You can either pinch off the flower bud or cut it off just below the faded bud.
pansies purple and yellow pansy flowers
Beautiful pansies are a wonderful addition to any garden!

Types

  • ‘Jolly Joker’ blooms in spring and summer and has orange flowers with deep purple upper petals and a purple outline.
  • Princess Series, which offers a variety of colors such as blue, purple, and yellow.
  • Fama Series, which flowers in winter and spring and offers a wide variety of single- and mixed-colored flowers.

See 10 pansy varieties and pretty pictures!

Gardening Products

Wit and Wisdom

  • Pansies symbolize “thinking” or “thoughts.” The word “pansy” itself comes from French pensée, meaning “thought.” Find out more flower meanings here.
  • Pansies are one of several edible garden flowers! They have a mild minty flavor and make for a lovely edible flourish on a salad or dessert.

Pests/Diseases

How Do You Keep Rabbits From Eating Pansies? 

Place dried sulfur, available at farm and garden supply stores, around the edge of your garden. You could also sprinkle bloodmeal around your pansies after each rainfall; it will also benefit the soil by adding nitrogen. However, don’t try it if you have dogs that roam the garden. They may be attracted to the scent and start digging.

Flowers
About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

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Comments

Marion (not verified)

1 month 2 weeks ago

Do deer eat pansies?

Deer will eat pansies, and short of fences or high garden walls, there’s no completely fool-proof way to keep deer from finding yours. One trick that sometimes works, however, is to plant pansies among violets, a flower deer really don’t care for. Our friends at the Oklahoma State University Extension Service offer some helpful tips on protecting your gardens from deer: https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/ornamental-and-garden-plants-controlling-deer-damage.html

Joe (not verified)

5 months 2 weeks ago

As I've read every where, pansies are an annual, and are either purchased as a plant or started from seed. What's curious to me is I have these growing ALL over my property!! Full sun, part shade, through the cracks of the concrete,,, you name it, I have them growing! Each year I have several that come up here and there, but this year is a record.

If I have one, I have a million!

Pam Sinewe (not verified)

1 year 5 months ago

How do you deadhead pansies?

A (not verified)

2 years 7 months ago

Will the pansy grow If I keep it in my room? I don't get a lot of direct sunlight though

Pansies are sun-loving plants that enjoy cool weather, so not the best choice for a room without direct sunlight! See our article on best indoor plants for low light: https://www.almanac.com/best-indoor-plants-low-light

Kathie Terpening (not verified)

2 years 9 months ago

Do I just pinch flower off or cut stem to produce new flowers?

You can do either—pinch off the flower bud or cut it off just below the faded bud. New flowers will come up on new stems.

Juanita Montoya (not verified)

3 years 5 months ago

can pansies be brought back to life if they are cut down?