Planting pansies: how to make them bloom

Pansies offer colorful planting in autumn and spring. Here you can find out what to consider when growing pansies.

From the wild pansy (Viola tricolor) After years of breeding, the cultivated forms known to us, the garden pansy (Viola × wittrockiana). These cultivated forms impress with large flowers that not only shine in typical colors such as yellow, blue-violet or white, but also in orange and red. New cultivars also show spotted, flamed and striped flowers. So-called miniature pansies emerged from crossings with horned violets. They have smaller flowers that can even be double.

Pansy flowering period: autumn and spring bloomers

As a harbinger of the new gardening season, you can watch the first pansies bloom as early as March. But for friends of the robust long bloomer with the memorable name, spring doesn't have to end. Depending on when you plant young plants or sow seeds, you can also enjoy the brightly colored pansy flowers in autumn.

The following applies:

• Spring flowering (March - July): transplant in spring (until March); Sow in February
• Autumn flowering (October / November): transplant in late summer / autumn; Sowing in early summer (until July)

Pansies planted in early summer can bloom all winter long in mild weather or on the windowsill.

Planting pansies: in pots and beds

Pansies feel at home in Europe and the temperate zones of Asia. As a native of our climatic zone, the pansy is very well used to our weather. This is why pansies can be planted very early in the year. Because even night frost doesn't bother them. Pansies are also not picky about the soil and location.

• Soil: permeable to water, rich in nutrients, humic, low in lime
• Soil pH: 6.5 - 8
• Location: sun to partial shade

The colorful garden dwellers are not only suitable for planting in the bed, but also as underplanting for deciduous hedges and perennials or in pots as a splash of color for the house and balcony. As a symbol of remembrance and remembrance, pansies can often be found as plants on graves.

Planting time for pansies 

Plants that have grown forward are quite insensitive to the cold. The plants can therefore be planted out from March to October, depending on the availability of time and motivation. Keep in mind that planting time will affect the flowering time of your pansies. If planted in autumn, the flowers are presented with a short winter break until late spring. Pansies planted in spring bloom from March into summer. Planting in spring offers the advantage of a particularly large supply of young plants in the garden center or specialist retailer. If you plant your pansies in summer, you should choose a partially shaded location. Otherwise the plants that are not yet rooted in the ground could have problems in the midday sun.

How to plant pansies 

There is not much to consider when planting pansies. In the right location with the right soil, the early bloomers are extremely robust and thrive without much effort. That is why they are also ideal for those new to gardening. After buying the plants, all you have to do is put your garden tool in your hand and off to the bed.

• Rake the earth thoroughly and remove weeds and stones
• Planting hole: twice as large as the root ball
• Plant spacing: 20 cm
• Slightly loosen the root ball with your hands
• Planting pansies; Knock down the earth
• Water well; Irrigation water with liquid fertilizer

There are pansies in the pot with pre-fertilized organic soil like ours Plantura organic potting soil well taken care of. It is best to place the planted pot protected from rain so that the substrate does not get too wet and the flowers do not stick together. Good water drainage and a drainage layer made of potsherds, perlite or gravel are a must for plants, as they are very sensitive to waterlogging.

Socialization: Good neighbors for pansies

Just because of the long flowering time, pansies can be combined in an incredible variety of ways. Just make sure that the small plants are not overgrown by their green neighbors. During the spring bloom you can like with other early bloomers Horned violets, Daffodils, snowdrop and primroses are combined. Flowering perennials such as Cranesbill (Geranium), Spurge (Euphorbia) or Hostas (Hosta).

Sow pansy seeds yourself

More and more people tend to get some of their vegetable needs by growing their own plants from seeds. However, there is no need to draw a line when it comes to the supply of vegetables. Why not pamper your eyes with pansies specially grown from seeds instead of your stomach? To do this, simply proceed as follows:

• Cultivation tray with Potting soil fill up
• Sow seeds on the earth; only press lightly (light germs!)
• Germination temperature: 15 - 18 ° C
• Location: bright
• Germination time: about 10 days

The sowing time has a decisive influence on the later flowering time of the plants. If the flowering time is to be in spring, the seeds are sown in February and grown indoors. If you sow in July, you can enjoy the colorful flowers as early as the following autumn. The seeds can also be sown directly into the bed. When sowing directly into the bed, a distance of 20 cm between the seeds is maintained. Make sure that the bed is not in the midday sun. Otherwise the seedlings will most likely dry up. In addition, mixing in humus with the garden soil ensures a good start.

Note: The seeds can also be harvested from your own plants. Simply refrain from cleaning the withered inflorescences in late summer. After a bit of waiting, three-lobed capsule fruits form. Simply harvest the still light brown capsules, dry them to maturity and then simply collect the seeds.

Buy pansies: what to look out for

In spring, the range of colorful blooming plants for the home garden is almost endless. Pansies are also part of the regular assortment of supermarkets and hardware stores and can also be found in abundance in specialist shops. The robust plants have grown into hearts like this with their large, overlapping petals Many hobby botanists crept into the fact that they are among the best-selling ornamental plants in Germany belong. But before you decide on a copy of these heartbreakers, you should ask yourself the following questions:

• Does the plant look healthy and does it grow short?
• Is the root ball well developed?
• How hardy is the variety?
• Does the plant come from the greenhouse?

Plants grown in frost-free greenhouses are not hardy. Therefore, these pansies should only be planted in pots or in the flowerbed from mid-March.

Note: Even if the young plants you have bought are overflowing with vitality, they are seldom as robust as plants that you have lovingly grown yourself.

Successfully overwintering pansies

The garden pansy has its roots in Central European meadows and paths. The one to two year old pansy owes its winter hardiness to this origin. In the bed, the plants can not only withstand a good load of snow, but are even happy about the cool white. The layer of snow has an insulating effect and protects plants from freezing. Since a white winter wonderland has become rather rare in the cold season, you have to make sure that your plants get through the winter unscathed. Everything about wintering in a nutshell:

• October: cut back to just above the ground
• Cover plants with conifer branches, fleece, brushwood, leaves, moss or bark mulch
• Only pour lightly on frost-free days
• Do not fertilize
• End of February / beginning of March: removal of winter protection

Pansies in pots are more sensitive because the soil can freeze through much faster there. They too are cut back and covered. Fleece is best suited for this. In addition, the entire pot is wrapped with the fleece or newspaper. The carefully wrapped plant spends the winter in a sheltered, cool place and is only lightly watered. She does not need fertilizer. In March it's back to the fresh air.

Note: Leaves curl up in severe frost, they smooth out again in milder weather.

Pansies and Horned Violets: Differences and Similarities

Pansy (Viola × wittrockiana) as well as Horned violets (Viola cornuta) belong to the genus of violets (viola). The two species can even be crossed with each other. But even if the many similarities cannot be dismissed out of hand, there are enormous differences. Pansies have higher nutrient requirements, as do larger flowers. Horny violets are smaller and more delicate than pansies, but have a longer flowering time and are more persistent and hardy for winter. More about the Comparison between pansy and horned violet You will find here.

Although pansies are quite frugal, they do enjoy some maintenance. You can find out how to do this in our special article Properly caring for pansiesso that you can enjoy the beautiful, colorful flowers.