Pansy (Viola wittrockiana) is a flowering plant species native to Europe and western Asia. The pansy is a large-flowered hybrid plant species often planted as an ornamental garden flower. This species grows best in sunlight and well-drained soil. The pansy is vulnerable to attack by aphids and the fungal leaf spot disease.
I. Appearance and Characteristics
The garden pansy (Viola × wittrockiana) is a type of polychromatic large-flowered hybrid plant cultivated as a garden flower. It is derived by hybridization from several species in the section Melanium (“the pansies”) of the genus Viola, particularly V. tricolor, a wildflower of Europe and western Asia known as heartsease. It is sometimes known as V. tricolor var. hortensis, but this scientific name is suspect. While V. tricolor var. hortensis Groenland & Rümpler is a synonym of Viola × wittrockiana, V. tricolor var. hortensis DC. refers to a horticultural variety of wild pansy (V. tricolor without interspecific hybridization) that had been illustrated in Flora Danica in 1777 before the existence of Viola × wittrockiana.
The chromosome number of Viola × wittrockiana is 2n = 44–52, with most cultivars being 2n = 48. The flower is 5 to 8 centimetres (2 to 3 in) in diameter and has two slightly overlapping upper petals, two side petals, and a single bottom petal with a slight beard emanating from the flower’s center. These petals are usually white or yellow, purplish, or blue. The plant may grow to 23 cm (9 in) in height, and prefers sun to varying degrees and well-draining soils.
II. Types of Pansies
If you like the variety of colors but still want a sense of cohesion, select plants from the same series. They’ll be similar in size and markings, regardless of the color.
- Bolero Series: Large, ruffled, semi-double flowers; does well in both spring and fall
- Bingo Series: Large-flowered in 14 colors from pale blue to burgundy; blooms earlier than the popular Majestic Giants series
- Cool Wave Series: Fast-growing with vigorous bloom; plants have a spreading habit, like Cool Wave petunias. Good “spillers” for containers and hanging baskets
- Freefall Series: Day-neutral, trailing plants; great for containers
- Joker Series: Very pronounced faces; bicolored in complementary colors
- Princess Series: Compact growth habit and dainty flowers; monochromatic tones from cream to deep purple, with yellow centers
III. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
Pansies will bloom best in full sun to partial shade, but they will stay fresh-looking and keep blooming longer if grown in partial shade.
Temperature and Humidity
For strong and healthy pansy plants, a temperature range of about 40 degrees Fahrenheit at night to 60 degrees Fahrenheit during the day is ideal. They can be grown at some point in the year in all zones in the United States and as biennials in zones with mild winters. In areas without long periods of frost, strong pansy plants will continue to bloom through the fall and into winter. Pansies do not like extreme heat or high humidity at all and will begin to decline as the days warm up in areas with very hot summers.
Watering
Regular watering will help them hang on a bit longer as weather warms, but don’t expect your pansies to last all season. Pansies prefer moist—but not soggy—soil. Use containers with drainage holes or if planting in the ground, make certain the soil drains well.
Soil
Although pansies are not fussy plants, they will grow best in loose, rich soil with a slightly acidic pH (6.0 to 6.2). They are heavy feeders, so amend your soil with mushroom compost to give them a good start.
Fertilizing
As with any long-blooming annual plant, pansies appreciate some fertilizer. However, too much food will just make them leggy. They respond well to monthly foliar feeding. Use a balanced fertilizer according to the product label’s directions.
Pruning
Pansies can be fast growers and pruning helps them to flourish. Although cutting back a plant to encourage growth may seem counterintuitive, it will actually keep a pansy plant full. Pansy stems may become too long and lanky creating gaps between foliate and flowers. Removing some growth as needed will prevent this leggy or straggly look and keep them in their optimal compact form.
Pansies are best trimmed back in the spring to remove dead growth leftover from winter. Additionally, sections that are too long or leggy can be cut back as needed. Check the plants midsummer to see if they’ve become overgrown.
Propagation
When it comes to pansy plants, most home gardeners buy seeds, seedlings or full plants but it is possible to propagate pansies another way. Pansy plants from the previous spring season can be propagated by dividing into smaller clumps. This method is relatively straightforward but it’s important to note that plants resulting from this method may not be as hardy as those grown from high quality seed. Here’s how to propagate pansies through division.
- Lift old plants gently about 6 weeks before the first frost.
- Break the plants into clumps ensuring each plant retains a bit of new growth and some root.
- Use a coldframe to strengthen them for 3 to 4 weeks.
- Move them to the spots where they will be permanently planted.
How to Grow From Seed
If the plants are not deadheaded, pansies will drop seeds that readily take root. In colder climates, you may find that the next spring brings a large cluster of volunteer seedlings where the old plants were located.
However, most pansies are F1 hybrids, and the seeds they produce will not grow into plants that resemble the parents. You will likely get flowers that have reverted to one of the genetic parents of the hybrid. This is not always a bad thing, as you may appreciate the surprising result. For example, a patch of pansies planted one year may self-seed into a group of volunteer Johnny-jump-ups (Viola tricolor) the next year, since V. tricolor is one of the parents of many hybrid pansies.
The best way to grow hybrid pansies from seed is to buy commercial F1 hybrid seeds, which are created by hand-pollinating one species with the pollen from another species.
Stratifying pansy seeds for two weeks helps improve germination. Then take the following steps:
- Cast the tiny seeds over a tray of seed-starting mix and moisten the tray.
- Pansies need dark to germinate. Keep the tray covered with black plastic until the seeds germinate (about two weeks).
- Remove the plastic and transfer the tray to a bright location.
- Keep the soil moist.
- When the seedlings are a few inches tall and have at least two sets of true leaves, transplant them into small pots and keep them growing in a bright location until it’s time to transplant them outdoors.
- Harden off seedlings for two weeks, gradually introducing them to outside conditions before planting outside.
Potting and Repotting
With their upright habit and pretty colors, pansies are very popular flowers to plant in containers and window boxes. Since you can plant pansies in the early spring or fall, you’ll find established pansy plants available in the garden center from August through March or April of the following year, depending on your climate.
They don’t like soggy roots, so make sure to use a relatively loose, well-draining potting mix and a container with good drainage. A slow-release fertilizer added to the potting mix is a good idea. Pinch off leggy growth and deadhead regularly, and feed the plants with a balanced liquid fertilizer every few weeks.
Repotting pansies should be done every two or so years when you notice they’ve outgrown the container. Repot them in the early spring so they can settle in while it’s still cool. It’s very easy to repot them. Simply place good-quality, well-draining potting soil in a larger container of any material and be sure to place the repotted pansies in the sun.
Overwintering
Though some varieties of pansy, such as the ice pansy, are bred to withstand light snows, expect the pansies to die away in winter. If you didn’t deadhead the pansies in the garden, you might be surprised with volunteer seeds sprouting up when spring weather arrives.
Pests and Diseases
Common Pests and Plant Diseases
Slugs can be a nuisance during wet seasons, especially if growing in partial shade. Use a slug bait or thin out the planting, so it’s less damp. Occasionally, aphids will attack pansies. Insecticidal soap should remove them. Use caution if you prefer to kill aphids with a strong blast of water since pansies are rather small and delicate.
Pansies are prone to many health problems caused by fungi, including gray mold, root and crown rot, powdery mildew, anthracnose, and leaf spots. Fungicides should protect your pansies.
Common Problems
The most common issue with pansies is deer. You may have to add deer repellent to your pansies to save them. Besides deer, if you spot these other signs, your pansies may be experiencing other stresses.
Wilting Plant
The pansies may have root or crown rot, which results in a general droopy nature and possible blackening of the stem near the soil. Avoid overwatering and crowding pansies to eliminate this risk. A plant has little to no chance of recovering from this problem.
Brown, Shriveled Leaves
Check for powdery mildew, especially if you see leaves turning brown and shriveling up during hot, humid weather. Pluck off the affected leaves and make sure the plants have adequate air circulation.
Leaves With Spots
Pansies with leaves that have different types of spots on them could be suffering from any number of fungal problems, such as anthracnose, leaf spot, rust, or scab. Spots can range in color from pale green to tan to brown and purple-black. To relieve any of these issues, make sure you are correctly fertilizing and watering your pansies, as well as promoting good garden hygiene by giving your plants plenty of space for air circulation.
III. Uses and Benefits
- Ornamental uses
Pansy is a popular garden ornamental prized for its colorful flowers, some of which carry a face-like pattern. This versatile plant brings beauty to garden beds, borders, and containers in traditional gardens. It grows well in cottage gardens or brings vibrancy to the ground under trees and bushes. You may spot this plant in containers decorating nontraditional city courtyard gardens.
- Other uses
In William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the “juice of the heartsease” is a love potion and “on sleeping eyelids laid, will make a man or woman madly dote upon the next live creature that it sees.” (II.1).
In the language of flowers, a honeyflower and a pansy left by a lover for his beloved means, “I am thinking of our forbidden love”. In 1858, the writer James Shirley Hibberd wrote that the French custom of giving a bride a bouquet of pansies (thoughts) and marigolds (cares) symbolized the woes of domestic life rather than marital bliss.
A German fable tells of how the pansy lost its perfume. Originally pansies would have been very fragrant, growing wild in fields and forests. It was said that people would trample the grass completely in eagerness to pick pansies. Unfortunately, the people’s cows were starving due to the ruined fields, so the pansy prayed to give up her perfume. Her prayer was answered, and without her perfumed scent, the fields grew tall, and the cows grew fat on the fresh green grass.
American pioneers thought that “a handful of violets taken into the farmhouse in the spring ensured prosperity, and to neglect this ceremony brought harm to baby chicks and ducklings.” On account of its place in American hearts, a game called “Violet War” also arose. In this game, two players would intertwine the hooks where the pansy blossoms meet the stems, then attempt to pull the two flowers apart like wishbones. Whoever pulled off the most of their opponent’s violet heads was proclaimed the winner. Young American settlers also made pansy dolls by lining up the pansy flower “faces”, pasting on leaf skirts and twig arms to complete the figures.
The pansy is also used in herbalism and traditional medicine.
