How Much Sunlight for Pansy Flowers?

Sunlight

• Pansies come in many varieties, including new hybrids that produce more vigorous plants with better heat resistance and larger flowers that bloom in more colors. Although older varieties of pansies grow well in full sun or in partial shade (receiving only morning sun works well for many of those), the new hybrids thrive best in full sun, according to the Utah State University Cooperative Extension Service. Full sun means receiving six or more hours of sunlight daily. Inadequate sunlight reduces flowering and makes plants spindly.

Uses

• Pansies are hardy biennials, which means they tolerate cool weather and they live out their life cycle over two growing seasons, sending out leaves the first season and producing blooms during the second. They grow in all parts of the United States and can be used in borders, in beds as mass plantings, scattered between other flowers and as container and cut flowers. They produce their blooms in spring or early summer, in warm, but mild, temperatures. Some varieties can be planted in late summer for fall blooming.

Planting Pansies

• Although pansies can be grown from seeds, it is easy to buy packs of pansies and plant them as soon as the soil can be worked. Purchase plants with healthy foliage that are not leggy or root-bound. Plant in well-draining soil, and in an adequately sunny area when soil temperature is between 45 and and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the Texas AgriLife Extension Service -- Bexar County Office recommends. Turn the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches and add peat moss or a 5-10-5 fertilizer. Gently spread apart plant roots, set pansies approximately 7 inches apart in the soil, at the same depths at which they were growing in the packs and backfill. Water every day for the first five days; then water to a depth of one inch whenever soil is dry. Deadhead spent blooms to increase flowering.

Seeds and Light

• Sunlight is also important in germinating pansy seeds. For commercial growing, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System suggests not covering pansy seeds with a growing medium so light enters the seed. Although covering seeds protects emerging plant roots from drying out, reduced germination occurs. For the home gardener, the Utah State University Cooperative Extension Service recommends covering seeds with no more than 1/8 inch of soil and pressing down with a flat board.