Planting colorful pansies a great way to kick off spring [Master Gardener column] (2024)

The pansy’s cheerful appearance and sweet, subtle scent belie its ability to survive spring freezes, fall cold snaps, and even mild winters. They have endeared themselves to me because they are the first flowering plant that I can put on my front porch in spring.

From an original color palette of yellow and purple, pansies are now available in every color of the rainbow. Some pansies feature dark blotches that resemble a face; some have lines radiating from the center of the flower.

Origin and history: A pansy for your thoughts

The pansy is descended from the wildflower Viola tricolor — today commonly known as Johnny jump-up — and Viola lutea, the mountain pansy. Both wildflowers were cultivated in Europe from the 17th century on. Victorian gardeners took a great interest in these flowers, and by the middle of the 19th century their cross-breeding efforts had yielded over 400 pansy hybrids!

The common name “pansy” seems to be derived from the French word “pensée,” which means “thought.”

The flower has often been associated with reflection as is illustrated by Ophelia’s line in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”: “And there is pansies, that’s for thoughts.”

Pansies through the seasons

Pansies can thrive outdoors a least a month before the last frost-free date. In most of Lancaster County you can safely place them outdoors in late March.

Their Achilles heel is hot summers. High temperatures cause pansies to become leggy and pale with few blooms. I usually dispose of pansies in the height of summer and replace them with heat-tolerant annuals, but pansies can be cut back and mulched in the summer to await cooler fall weather.

Though pansies are usually considered annuals, they also have biennial tendencies. In the warmer zones and microclimates of Pennsylvania, they can be planted in beds in the fall, mulched with straw or evergreen boughs in the winter, and they will thrive and bloom in the spring.

Caring for pansies

Beginning gardeners will find pansies easy to grow. They prefer well-drained soil with organic content, such as compost.

They can be grown in full sun to part shade. If they are in a container, consider moving them from sun to part shade as the temperatures increase in the spring. Pansies are not bothered by many pests or diseases, with slugs posing the greatest threat.

Pansies do not need intense application of fertilizer, but they do benefit from a slow-release fertilizer or application of a general fertilizer every few weeks, especially if they are grown in a container. Deadheading helps increase bloom.

I recommend giving in to the tempting displays of pansies when they appear at your local garden center. Enjoy the many color combinations that you can create, and consider paring pansies with other cool-loving plants such as ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea) or sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima). If you would like to rush the spring growing season with beautiful blooms, pansies are the plant for you!

Have a garden question? Contact a Lancaster County Master Gardener at LancasterMG@psu.edu.

Lois Miklas is an area coordinator, for several counties including Lancaster, for the Penn State Extension Master Gardener program.