When to Plant Pansies and How to Do it
Last updated: October 18, 2016
Pansies add that perfect touch to your fall garden. You can choose from a variety of colors such as red, orange, yellow, blue, pink, purple and white. Fall is the ideal time to plant pansies for two main reasons:
- Since the soil is still warm, your pansies will have plenty of time to establish their roots.
- You will get to enjoy these flowers for not just one season, but two.
First let’s discuss how to choose the right pansies for your garden.
Picking Pansies
- When picking pansies, make sure you pick the healthiest plants. Make sure the roots are not too bound and that the foliage is green. Test if the roots are bound by lifting the plant out of the container and look at the roots. If they are long, leggy and compact – find another plant. A healthy plant is much more likely to establish roots and grow more quickly.
- Choose a hardy variety especially if you have colder winters. Here is a list of hardy pansies from Better Homes and Gardens,
- Sky
- Delta
- Bingo
- Accord Series.
Icicle pansies and violas have been specifically bred for colder weather
- According to the HGTV, Icicle pansies even come with a money-back guarantee that they will survive a harsh winter and bloom again in the spring.
Planting Pansies
- The best time to plant pansies is when the soil is about 45 degrees to 65 degrees in temperature. According to HGTV, this is because if you plant below 45 degrees, you will end up with an inactive plant. If you plant above 65 degree your plant will be too leggy with yellowish leaves. http://www.hgtv.com/gardening/how-to-buy-and-plant-pansies/index.html
- The soil should be moist and well drained.
- Pick a spot in your garden that gets full sun.
- The Old Farmer’s Almanac suggests spacing the plants about 7 to 12 inches apart.
Caring for Pansies
- Watering pansies is critical. Make sure to water the soil and not the plant. If you notice that your pansies don’t look well, they may not be getting enough water.
- Don’t forget to deadhead. To learn more about deadheading, please see: Deadheading Made Easy – How to Supercharge Your Garden.
Summary
While other flowers in your garden start to fade in the fall, pansies love the cooler weather. Pansies are the perfect flowering plant to add color to your fall garden.
