How to Grow and Take Care of Pansies

Plan your planting for maximum “pansy life,” which is three consecutive seasons in many places. In the southern and southwest U.S., pansies grow from fall through spring; only intense summer heat will stop them. In the north, pansies are a summer favorite, so the pansy season runs from spring into fall—well into fall, thanks to new, very cold-hardy varieties that may even survive harsh winters. Technically an annual, in more temperate areas the pansy becomes perennial.

Choose pansy plants that are tight and stocky with dark green leaves. Look for many buds but blooms just starting. If you're planting in the spring, harden off your pansies: Acclimate them to cold temperatures for about a week by setting them outside during the day in a sheltered spot for progressively longer periods. Pansy plants are hardy, and if hardened off they can be planted at least a month before your area’s frost-free date.

Plant pansies when soil temperature is between 45 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit for successful root establishment and growth. Prepare your soil, making it crumbly and loose, by digging deep. Some gardeners add two pounds of 50-50 bone meal and blood meal blend for every 50 square feet of bed. Remove weeds and work in lots of compost and smooth the soil surface.

Use your trowel to dig smaller planting holes for your pansies, spacing each hole 6 to 10 inches from another. Add some planting mix to each hole and blend with the soil. Mound excess soil blend to one side outside each hole.

Carefully pop each plant, one by one, out of its six-pack and plant it immediately, protecting the roots from exposure to air. Plant each individual pansy to the same depth it was in its original container, scooping soil in from the adjacent mound to cover the root area. Firm soil over the root area using your hands or trowel. Water thoroughly.

Add 2 inches of mulch to help maintain soil temperature, conserve water and improve pansy bloom. Water by hand daily for the first five days, then water regularly once or twice a week, or whenever the soil is dry to about 1 inch deep. (Drip irrigation systems work great with pansies.) After two or three weeks, water well with fish fertilizer.

Try new and unusual varieties by starting pansies from seed. They grow easily from seed, but the plants are slow to mature, so start seeds at least 10 to 12 weeks before you plan to plant them outdoors.

You also can sow seeds directly into prepared garden soil. Press the tiny seeds into the surface of the soil and cover them with a very thin layer of soil, about 1/8 inch, and keep evenly moist.