Pansy/viola care
PANSY viola x wittrockiana
One of my favorite flowers is the pansy. The flat-faced, lightly fragranced flowers that come in dozen of colors always make me smile. They are great in flower boxes, hanging baskets, bedding plants as well as an addition to your mixed salad. When grown without pesticides, pansy flowers are edible . The flower petals have a mild savory flavor.
An easy way to make an Easter table arrangement:
Combine 3-4 pansies in a basket, cover with grass, add colored eggs and finish off with pussy willows or any other spring flowering branches.
Growing pansies
Pansies can be grown in areas where the summers are cool and winters are mild as they tolerate temperatures below freezing (-15F) and prefer cool summer temperatures below 85F.
In southern states (zones 7 -9), pansy is grown as a winter plant. It blooms in the fall thrives thru the winter and then starts to blooms again in spring.
In the north, it is mostly grown as an annual but new cultivars such as ‘Skyline’, ‘Sky’, ‘Etain’, ‘Maxims’, Universal Plus’ have been known to be both heat and cold tolerant providing a longer blooming period. The super hardy varieties can survive the winter as far north as zone 4 as long as they are planted early enough in the season. Pansies stop developing new roots when soil temperatures drop below 45 degrees, therefore it is important to plant early in order to establish a good root system before the soil freezes. When freezing winds begin to fly, add 2-3″ of mulch for protection.
Care: Plant pansies in rich, moist, well-drained soil in full sun to dappled shade and protect from the hot summer sun. Space them 6-8 inches apart. Add a balanced fertilizer at the time of planting and for maximum bloom, give the plant additional light feedings once a month over the growing period. Water early in the day (1/2-1″ per wk) to provide even moisture and avoid over-head watering to prevent fungal disease.
Bloom time
They bloom best in early spring before the hot summer sets in which causes them to stop blooming. For additional fall bloom, cut the plants down to 2 inches in July and fertilize. They will bounce back with the cooler temperatures.
Deadheading will prolong bloom time and pinching periodically will produce a bushy plant.
Pansies can be started from seeds in late winter 10-12 weeks before the last frost date.
Insect problems
Aphids, slugs, snails, earwigs and sowbugs-love the emerging buds.
I live in NC where the temperature for a week now has been in the 20″s. Some are in containers on my porch so they do not get rain. Should I water them in this temperature
I live in Vermont . Can u help me. With a wilting pansy plant? All the others are seem to be florishing.
Heat tolerant pansies
Hi,
Are there any type of pansies, or violas , that does well in hot and humid climates ?
Hi I live in malaysia which is in the tropics, I have just bought a pot of pansies from a nursery on a hill named cameron highlands and the average temperature there is about 13-23 degrees Celsius daily. But the average temperature down here is 25-38 degrees Celsius . How do I care for my pansies, do I water them with icy cold water , do they need full direct sun or shade, can I keep them outside in the day and in an air-conditioned room at night ? Thanks.
Pansies in Malaysia
Hi, I live in Malaysia , and it is hot and humid here . I was wondering if I could grow some Roggli Giant pansy seeds which I have just purchased from a typical grocery store, and if they sell it here, shouldn’t they be able to survive here ?
My cat seems to want to eat some Violas I have growing on my porch. They are in MiracleGro soil. Is it safe to allow him to eat them?
thank you
I planted 8 violas early in the spring. Four are growing extremely well and the others are infested with some type of pest. The underside of the leaves are covered with white-ish colored eggs/larvae. There is also crawling and flying dark colored insects in the surrounding soil. What are these pests and how do I get rid of them? They seem to be ignoring the snapdragons, which are planted in the same pot, and only attacking the violas. Help!
I’ve potted some violas in hanging planters. One of them is spreading beautifully, but I noticed this weekend that the other two look wilted. I live in the south, and our weather is very unpredictable lately. Our temperatures have spanned from 50 to 80 degrees- I would think my hearty little pansies would be fine. What could have happened? Thanks for your help.
Fungus gnats
My pansies have tiny little bugs in the soil that seem to chew the roots off, what could these be, and how can I get rid of them?? Thanx
Can I use miracle grow on my pansies that are in my round concrete palnters ?
I planted some pansies and violas this year for the first time. They seemed to be doing well, until I noticed that bit by bit the brighter colored flowers, especially the yellow ones have been chomped to nubs. I thought it was a rabbit. I bought some organic deer and rabbit repellent and it seemed to get better. They are getting chewed up again. This time I noticed that mid day within about an hour or two the one flower is nearly gone. I haven’t seen a rabbit or anything hanging around in my front yard. I go outside often to let my dog out. What could it be, what can I do? They are so beautiful and I was so excited to plant them and now it has turned to disappointment.
I moved to a newer home last Sept.,and was anticipating spring, as I was told the previous owner gardened extensively. Was so happy when one of the oak barrels on the porch showed many small clumps of violas. The cats that got left behind(bad owners!!!)love to sleep in this particular barrel so I put objects all around to deter them. Beautiful little 1/2″ blossoms all over! Then, I planted Petunias all around the perimeter, as it appeared the cats were still sleeping in them. Everything was fine until a week ago, one half side of the violas withered. Like they were in need of water. I watered them and they came back. But, it seems not to be a water problem now. I have been checking moisture everyday, and there is plenty. They only get around 6 hours of sun. And we have had a pretty damp year so far. They still need to be watered due to being on the porch. From yesterday, with half wilted to now, All of them are withered. I see no signs of infestation, no symptoms pointing to disease, except the withering. Any ideas??
Are my little darlings doomed?? ={
I was so pleased to find your website! After quite some time looking through Google search’s results for “signs of a sick plant” turning up many cannabis forums, I finally found this among them. On to my problem…. I had a whole pot of violas/pansies that was in the same condition as the pot next to it, almost identically. I thought, at first, that it was me over watering the violas/pansies in one pot (blue), because the other 2 violas are planted next to a columbine in a separate pot (yellow). They were watered at the same time, fertilized at the same time (using Aggrand fertilizer), and I used natural lime (very diluted – 1 tbsp per gallon) to help stimulate growth once a month.
Now, all the violas/pansies but one in blue died, but the ones in yellow are perfectly fine, and they’ve been next to each other since planting. The viola that was left in blue has nice green leaves on the bottom, but on the top, it’s leaves are a pale, sickly green and it’s flowers are pale orange whereas they’re supposed to be bright orange. The leaves look burnt on the tips and curled upwards, and the flowers are very small in comparison to the other plant.
I took some time to take a look at the soil that blue was in, and I noticed that (at first) it seemed to have drainage problems. I transplanted the viola into a smaller container and placed some rocks at the bottom to help with drainage, but yellow is surviving while blue is still sick. It’s been a couple months since the first symptoms, and it’s survived, but very poorly. I would like to try to figure out heck is wrong with it, and if I should just give it up to black root rot and dry out the soil and replant another.
weather damaged pansies
I bought a hanging planter with viola pansies and they looked so great and healthy. I went away for two days and this planter was outside on my porch during a very windy and cold rainy day. Now my poor pansies look sick. They are drooping down and looking half dead. Have you ever seen them recover from an episode like this? What shall I do. They do not need water because the soil is still damp from the rain. They might have gotten too much water in the storm. I am not experienced with pansies so any help would be appreciated.
Hello viola growers, I have a greenhouse full of viola which i planted then with a time spacing (Depended on the seed growing) the biggest ones have grown up to 3 inches in height and still no bloom. I have bought 20-20-20 ME today they told me it will help them develop more blooms. I am going to need them bloomy until March 8th. Is it going to be possible?! 🙂 Thanks in advance
my pansies have frozen due to the below freezing temps in NC. Will they come back or what can I do to save them?
Can violas survive as a house plant?
Fungal disease
We just planted pansies. They looked great for the first week to 10 days. The weather did warm after planting (upper 80’s) and we had a very windy day. Then it rained for two days. Many of the plants withered and dried up. It looks like the roots have separated from the plant. Can you over water pansies?
Hi! I just bought some “Blackjack” violas (3 plants) and re-potted them. They are on a 2nd floor balcony on a western exposure. (it is mid-August here atm. It can get very very hot or very cold. I am worried that they may not survive with the temperature yo-yo’ing like that, should I treat them as a houseplant and bring them inside? Also, I heard a rumor that using tomato plant fertilizer with help them bloom like crazy, while helping to control the leggyness, is this true?
Fantastic site! Thanks
I have found some great information on this site for handling a problem that developed while I was away on vacation. I left friends to care for three very large pots filled with beautiful full pansie plants, they were about 7-8 inches high and just as wide, well apparently while I was gone there was a heat wave and I returned to find them drooping and had been left to dry out, they are scaggly and old looking with yellow leaves and dried parts throughout the plants. Tomorrow, because of the advice to others, I am going to cut them back to 2-4 inches and hope they will return when it gets cooler to their beautiful full, healthy state they were in before I left. This website has given me hope for the return of the beauty I find in these plants; Thank you ~ Linda
leggy pansies
Hi, I planted some pansies in containers this spring and they are growing very tall. If I cut them down as described, and cut the flowers as well, will they bloom again soon? Aoso, I wish they would spread out like I have seen in some gardens and not show much stem. How do I do that? Can I add more soil and cover some of the stem? I am not sure if it is okay to bury the leaves. Thank you.
Ruth.
My husband and I found your page and thought it was to be quite news worthy. I aprrecitated the guide and I look forward to seeing more from this site sometime soon. How can I be notified of more news that are posted here on your blogsite?
Fertilizing pansies
One cannot look at a viola and not smile back at their happy faces. I just moved to upstate SC and immediately, in October, planted many, many violas, in both the ground and in about 30 baskets and containers. (Can you tell I love them…) The ones in the landscape were well mulched, but the container plants have flowered much more readily over the winter than did the landscape plants. It’s now early spring and the landscape violas are beginning to come around. Of course, it will be scorching hot here before you know it – and I don’t want to lose them all. I know that it is possible for violas to re-seed. But what is the best way for me to ensure a big return bloom next spring, in both the landscape and the containers? I haven’t yet given them a spring fertilizing. Help me keep my babies smiling!
hello!
i planted some violas in pots by my door several months ago when the weather was warmer. i took care of them and they thrived! the problem now is that they are doing SO well that they are kind of hiding the baby tree that they are supposed to be bordering. winter weather is definitely coming, and i was hoping that the colder temperatures would calm them down a little, but they’re still blooming and growing! what do i need to do to cut them back a little without killing the plants?
Animal repellents
It is November and I live in East Tennessee. I planted pansies by my front porch and by our mailbox at the street a couple of weeks ago. Four days later, the flower heads were all gone and a fairly clean topped stem and leaves was all that remained. It took a while but whatever is eating them finally discovered the ones by the mailbox. I do not know if this happens at night or just when I am not looking out my front door. What can I spray or spread around to discourage the pansy-eating culprits?
Root rot disease
I love pansies toughness and beauty but this year I have replaced 40 or more plants due to black leg or crown rot disease. I hope you can recomend a drench or something that will stop it. I have also had most of the vincas die of a similar problem.
Fertilizing pansies
I have just planted my pansies for the winter in TN and was wondering what kind of fertilizer is best suited for growth?
Hi Mitch
Pansies need more food than most annuals when they are actively growing. They like well-drained soil that is rich in organic material. If you live in a warm climate, mix a slow- release fertilizer into the soil at planting time. Add a light balanced fertilizer of 10-10-10 or 5-10-10 in late fall and again in early spring . Be careful not to over fertilize or use a high-nitrogen formula as too much feeding can produce leggy, soft growth and make the plant susceptible to rot. They will bloom as long as the temperature is above freezing and peak in spring
The pansies look wilted and the leaves are dried up looking even after fertilizing them every 2 weeks with Miracle Grow and regular watering in the mornings. Can you tell me what is wrong with them? Connie
Hi Connie
Pansies slow down, stop blooming and can dry up during the hot part of summer. For additional fall bloom cut the plant back to 2-4 inches from the ground and fertilize.
I am planting pansies in Sept. for a company. Some of the planting spots are in full sun. It is the end of our summer in Massachusetts, however, some days do get hot- I would say around 85 degrees. But, the nights will be cooler. Will the pansies make it?
Hi I would like to know if you have a solution for my problem; I planted four pots of pritty violetts in may and put them outside my front door on my stairs and about two weeks ago I noted that something is eating all the flower heads and leaving the little leg on the plant at first i tought my elderly mother that lives with me was deadheading them but when she was away for a week and this was incresing daily I realized that it is something else, can you help me?
Are you referring to African violets or violas (mini pansies)?
Hi, I have just bought a house this year and started straight away in the garden. I have planted some beautiful Viola’s and Geraniums that have flowered great, and want to keep them through the winter. I live in the UK so we get quite wet and frosty winters. What can i do? (Bare in mind i’m a first time gardener when replying to my post 🙂 )
Thanks
S
I planted pansies in pots the middle of June. They are in afternoon shade. How can I keep them in bloom for an event the end of August? We live in the upper penninsula of Michigan.
I was thrilled that my pansies had seeded from last year….I have several pots as I have only have a small garden/yard….
I noticed this morning they looked wilted even though they had been watered…to my horror at a closer inspection they are infested with whitefly…little blighters have sucked them dry….they have just flopped over…
I sprayed them with soapy water spray….would it be wise to throw them out they do look too far gone…to think they were beautiful last week….
many thanks…
Irene
My company planted some pansies in a flower bed by the entrance to the parking lot. Sometime during the night, something uprooted the pansies and just left them sitting on top of the ground. Can you tell me what animal could have done this?
Thank you,
Nona
I received 5 potted pansy arrangements as a gift. Can I leave them in the pots through the summer & plant them in the ground early fall.
Thank you,
Carolyn
Comment on Plant & Gardening Tips, for topic: Pansy/viola care
The lawn service used a leaf blower on my pansies. They are now flattened. Will they straighten up again. Is there anything I can do to correct the flattening? The lawn service has been aprised of their deed, however, I want to help my panises.
thank you,
Donna
I planted pansies in the spring they had big faces on them, now their the size of viola’s, I put some food on them but that didn’t seem to make a difference. I planted under a tree they do get the later after noon sun.
what should i do to make them happy again
Judy H
I have several pots of pansies mixed with violas on my deck. This morning I noticed that they are covered with little white bugs, almost unrecognizable they are so tiny. The bugs are in crawling stage and ineff/larvae stage. How can I get rid of them to protect my beatiful flowers? What are they?
What is the best fertilizer for pansies
Hi,
Early in the spring, I had some hanging potted plants that had, among other plants, some pansies and violas. They went to seed and suddenly I had beautiful violas all over my garden. I would like to keep some and grow them again next year. I have been ‘harvesting’ the teenie seeds by shaking the pods into a plastic bag, but this is very difficult, as the seeds are about 1/10th the size of a poppy seed. How can I save some of the plants over the winter?
.