Ornamental · Violaceae
Pansy
Viola × wittrockiana
Plant them when the weather turns cool and pansies hand you color through fall, winter, and spring.
Full sun
Every 2–4 days
19–64°F · -7–18°C
USDA 6–10
Overview
Pansies are the friendly faces of the cool-season garden, with broad flowers in nearly every color and the dark blotches that look like little expressions. They belong to the violet family and are a garden hybrid raised from wild violas. Where most flowers wait for warmth, pansies do their best work when the air is cool and crisp.
Their habit is low and mounding, just 4 to 9 inches (10 to 23 cm) tall, which makes them naturals for the front of a bed, a window box, or a pot by the door. The flowers can be solid, blotched, or whiskered, and the colors run from soft pastels to deep, near-black purples.
These are short-lived plants by design, grown as cool-season annuals that peak in fall, winter, and spring. Heat is their undoing, so they stretch and fade once summer sets in. Plan to enjoy them while it's cool and swap them out when the weather turns.
Care
The short version: plant in cool weather in rich, well-drained soil, give full sun to part shade, keep the soil evenly moist, and deadhead often to keep the flowers coming.
Light
Pansies do best in full sun through the cool months, and they take partial sun or partial shade without complaint. Once spring warms up, a spot with afternoon shade helps them hold their flowers longer.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist but well-drained, letting the top inch dry slightly between waterings. Water at the base rather than over the top, since wet leaves invite downy mildew and crown rot. In cool weather that usually means a drink every 2 to 4 days.
Soil
Plant in humus-rich, well-drained loam with plenty of organic matter worked in. A slightly acidic pH of 5.5 to 6.5 suits them, and good drainage is the single most important thing for keeping the roots healthy.
Temperature
This is a cool-weather flower, happiest from about 19°F to 64°F (-7°C to 18°C). Established plants take real cold and even light snow, but bloom drops off and the plants stretch once days push past the mid-60s.
Humidity
Average outdoor humidity, somewhere around 40% to 70%, suits pansies fine. What matters more is airflow, since still, damp air around crowded plants is what lets leaf diseases take hold.
Feeding
Feed with a balanced water-soluble fertilizer about once a month through the cool-season stretch in fall and spring. Steady, light feeding keeps the flowers coming without pushing the soft growth that aphids love.
Pruning
Deadhead spent flowers often to keep new buds forming and stop the plant from setting seed. Pinch back any leggy stems too, which keeps the plant compact and stretches the bloom season.
Repotting
Move container pansies into a larger pot when they outgrow the old one. Watch for roots circling the inside or poking through the drainage holes, or soil that dries out almost as fast as you water it.
Size & spacing
Pansies stay small, just 4 to 9 inches (10 to 23 cm) tall with a spread of 9 to 12 inches (23 to 30 cm). That tidy size lets you tuck them along edges, into pots, or among taller plants for early color.
When to plant
Pansies run on cool weather, not warmth. Set plants out in fall so they bloom through the cool months and overwinter in mild zones, or plant in very early spring for color before summer heat shuts them down.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Fall (overwinters in mild zones) or very early spring
- Harvest: Fall, winter, and spring in cool weather; declines and gets leggy in summer heat
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 6–10
Temperature: down to -23°C
Troubleshooting
Most pansy trouble comes down to two things: small pests in cool, damp weather and rot or stretching when conditions turn wet or warm. Catch these early and a quick fix usually sets the planting right. Match what you see below, then act before it spreads.
Wilting in wet soil with mushy, blackened roots
A plant that wilts even though the soil is wet, then collapses at the soil line, has crown and root rot from waterlogged ground and fungal pathogens. There's no saving it, so pull and discard the affected plants. Fix the drainage before you replant, ease off the watering, and let the surface dry a little between drinks so the roots can breathe.
Fix:
- Remove and discard affected plants
- Improve soil drainage before replanting
- Reduce watering and avoid waterlogging
Yellow patches on top, gray fuzz underneath
Yellow blotches above with a gray-purple fuzz on the undersides is downy mildew, a disease that runs wild in cool, humid, wet spells. Pull and bin the infected leaves and plants right away, and open the planting up so air can move through. Switch to base watering early in the day, since wet foliage is exactly what the spores need to spread.
Fix:
- Remove and discard infected leaves and plants
- Improve air circulation by spacing and thinning
- Avoid overhead watering and water early in the day
Sticky new growth crawling with tiny green or black bugs
Those clustered insects are aphids, and they show up most in cool spring weather to feed on the softest shoots. Blast them off with a sharp jet of water, then treat what's left with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Cut out any shoot that's badly overrun and go easy on nitrogen, which only fuels the tender growth they love.
Fix:
- Spray plants with a strong jet of water to dislodge aphids
- Apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oil to affected growth
- Remove heavily infested shoots
Ragged holes in the leaves and silvery slime trails
Chewed leaves and flowers paired with shiny trails point to slugs and snails working at night in cool, damp shade. Go out after dark to pick them off by hand, and scatter iron phosphate bait where they travel. Clear away the mulch, boards, and debris they hide under during the day, and water in the morning so the ground dries by dusk.
Fix:
- Hand-pick slugs and snails in the evening
- Set out iron phosphate slug bait
- Remove mulch, boards, and debris that shelter them
Stretched, leggy stems and fading blooms in late spring
Pansies are cool-season plants, and they stretch out and bloom less once days climb past 64°F (18°C). This is summer heat stress, not a disease. Pinch back the leggy stems and deadhead to coax a fresh flush, give the plants afternoon shade and steady moisture through warm spells, and treat them as the cool-season annuals they are by replacing them when real heat arrives.
Fix:
- Pinch back leggy stems and deadhead to encourage rebloom
- Provide afternoon shade and consistent moisture in warm spells
- Replace plants as a cool-season annual when summer heat sets in
Toxicity
Pansies are about as safe as a flowering plant gets. The ASPCA lists them as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and the flowers are even edible for people. A curious pet or a grazing animal has nothing to fear from a bed of pansies.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Pansies are safe for cats, so a nibbled flower is nothing to worry about. As with any plant, a cat that gorges on a lot of foliage might have a brief bout of mild stomach upset, and that passes on its own.
Dogs None
Dogs can chew pansy leaves and flowers without harm. The only thing to watch for is the loose stool that comes from any dog eating a big mouthful of greenery, which clears up quickly.
Horses Safe
Pansies pose no danger to horses grazing near a bed or border. There's no toxin here, so a grazing horse needs no special caution around the plants.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can eat both the leaves and the flowers safely, and many gardeners offer the blooms as a treat. Keep portions sensible, the way you would with any fresh green, to keep their digestion steady.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep face no risk from pansies in a pasture or planting. The whole plant is free of harmful compounds.
Birds Safe
Pansies are safe around birds, and backyard hens will happily peck at the petals. Nothing in the plant will hurt them.
People Safe
Pansy flowers are genuinely edible and turn up in salads or candied on cakes. Just wash them first, or grow your own without pesticides, since garden-center plants can carry spray residue.
No special handling needed; flowers are edible, though garden plants may carry pesticide residue and should be washed or grown pesticide-free before eating.
Varieties
Pansies come in dozens of named series, but a few turn up again and again at the garden center. These are the ones worth knowing by name.
Majestic Giants
This series carries the biggest flowers, around 3 to 4 inches across with bold dark blotches, and stands up well to both cold and heat.
Matrix
Matrix plants stay compact and uniform, holding their flowers upward and blooming early without stretching.
Delta
A vigorous, early-blooming series with clear or blotched faces and strong tolerance for both cold and heat.
Cool Wave
Cool Wave is the trailing type that spills and cascades, which makes it the one to reach for in hanging baskets or as a groundcover.
How to propagate
Pansies are nearly always raised from seed, though the seed asks for some patience and steady warmth to get going.
SeedModerate
Sow indoors in mid to late summer for fall planting, or in late winter for early spring planting
Most gardeners start pansies from seed or simply buy them as transplants rather than rooting cuttings. Sow the seed indoors in mid to late summer for fall planting, or in late winter to set plants out in early spring. The seed takes a steady hand, which is why so many people let a grower do that part and pick up flats ready to go.
Myths
Pansies and violas are the same plant.
They are close cousins, not the same thing. Pansies carry larger but fewer flowers, while violas and Johnny-jump-ups put out smaller blooms in greater numbers. The violas also shrug off heat a little better.
Pansy flowers are only for show and are not safe to eat.
The flowers are genuinely edible. You can toss them fresh into a salad or candy them for cakes, and the one rule is that they must be grown without pesticides before they reach the plate.
Pansies are summer annuals that thrive in heat.
It's the opposite. Pansies are cool-season plants that bloom best in fall, winter, and spring, then stretch out and fade once summer heat sets in.