Pansy
Viola × wittrockiana
Pansies are cool-season bedding flowers known for their large, flat, face-like blooms in a huge range of colors. They are a hybrid garden plant derived from wild violas.
- Light
- Full sun to partial shade
- Water
- Keep evenly moist
- Difficulty
- Easy
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Overview
Pansies are beloved cool-weather annuals or short-lived perennials, instantly recognizable by their broad, overlapping petals that often form a dark "face" in the center.
They are a hybrid developed primarily from Viola tricolor and related species. Pansies shine in spring and fall, and in mild climates they bloom right through winter, providing color when little else is flowering.
How to identify it
Distinguished by large, flat, five-petaled blooms with characteristic blotched markings.
- Flowers: Wide, flat, 2-4 in, with four upward petals and one lower, often a central dark blotch or "whiskers"
- Colors: Almost every color, including near-black, blue, yellow, and multicolor combinations
- Leaves: Oval to heart-shaped, slightly scalloped, low and clumping
- Habit: Compact mounds, 6-9 in tall
Care & growing
Pansies prefer cool temperatures and steady moisture.
- Light: Full sun in cool weather; partial shade where summers are warm
- Water: Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged
- Soil: Rich, well-draining soil with organic matter
- Temperature: Cool-season; they fade and stop blooming in summer heat
- Feeding: Feed regularly with a balanced fertilizer for continued bloom
- Maintenance: Deadhead to prolong flowering
- Propagation: Grown from seed, started in cool conditions
Habitat & origin
The garden pansy is a cultivated hybrid; its parent species are native to Europe and western Asia, where wild violas grow in meadows and grassy slopes.
Pansies are planted worldwide as seasonal bedding plants, popular in spring and fall borders, containers, and winter gardens in mild regions.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my pansies stop blooming?
Summer heat causes pansies to decline; they bloom best in cool spring and fall weather.
Are pansies annuals or perennials?
They are short-lived perennials usually grown as cool-season annuals.
Will pansies survive winter?
In mild climates they bloom through winter; in cold zones they may survive under snow and rebloom in spring.
Pansy guides
In-depth guides for identifying, growing, and caring for Pansy.
