Plant of the Week: Pansies

If you’re looking for something to brighten your gardens, containers and hanging baskets during winter, look no further than the cheerful faces of pansies. These cool season annuals are the perfect choice for replacing your summer annuals as they begin to die-back in fall, and they’ll last straight through winter until it starts heating up in spring!

While purple and yellow are longtime favorites, pansies come in almost every color of the rainbow, including white, orange, multi-color and purple so dark it looks black. Mix and match your favorites to create a stunning display of winter color.

Averaging 6 to 9 inches tall, pansies are perfect for mass plantings, low borders, containers and hanging baskets.

Care

Full sun, at least 6 hours per day. Pansies can tolerate part sun but they will struggle to bloom as profusely and may become leggy.

Pinch back faded flowers to encourage new blooms.

Fertilize when planting with Dynamite slow-release fertilizer.

Deer are also fans of pansies, to keep them away from yours, spray with Liquid Fence or sprinkle a barrier of Deer Scram to prevent those pesky critters from munching.