Pansy

Pansies are small, cool-season flowers that come in a very wide range of colors, and many have a dark center called a face. Flowers range from about 3/4 inch to 4 inches (2 to 10 cm) across, and plants usually reach 4 to 10 inches (10 to 25 cm) tall. Most gardeners grow them as annuals, although one extension page calls them hardy biennials that are also grown as annuals.

Sow seed indoors about 8 to 10 weeks before you plan to set plants outside; another guide gives 7 to 9 weeks before planting out. Cover the seeds with only an eighth of an inch of soil, or coarse washed sand, which is about 0.3 cm. Seeds usually sprout in 4 to 7 days when kept at 62 to 68 °F (17 to 20 °C). Direct seeding outdoors is not recommended. Pansies thrive in rich, well-drained soil, and they grow in full sun or partial shade. Space bedding plants 7 to 12 inches (18 to 30 cm) apart, with small-flowered types at 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) and large-flowered types at 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm). Some guides say to sow in July or August for the earliest spring bloom, while another says late summer and fall sowing works in mild climates or tunnels.

Watering. Water thoroughly about once a week with roughly 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water in spring, and never water in the late afternoon or evening, since that encourages disease. Feeding. Mix a granular slow-release fertilizer into the soil at planting. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers, which can make plants susceptible to rot. Mulch and deadheading. Mulch with 2 inches (5 cm) of organic material to conserve moisture and reduce weeds. Remove faded flowers to extend bloom.

Common problems include black root rot and some fungal leaf spots, as well as anthracnose, root rot and slugs. Aphids, spider mites and slugs also feed on pansies. Plants grown in the same soil year after year can develop a Pythium fungus that causes wilting, so do not plant pansies in the same spot for more than 3 years in a row. The main issue gardeners report is poor tolerance of hot weather, so plants are best removed in early summer and replaced in early fall.