How to grow Pansy

Viola wittrockiana · garden pansy

A cool-season plant grown as an annual for its colourful flowers, often with a dark "face". It flowers whenever it is above freezing, peaks in spring and fades once hot summer weather arrives; used in beds, containers and window boxes. The flowers are edible.

Quick facts

Type	Flower
Family	Violaceae
Light	Partial shade
Soil pH	5.4–5.8
Frost	tolerates light frost
Soil for sowing	from 7 °C
Germination	7 days
Seedlings ready	49 days
Where it grows	Greenhouse, Open ground, At home

When to plant

Sow for seedlings about 8 weeks before planting out.

It tolerates light frost: plant out in open ground about three weeks before your last spring frost.

In an unheated greenhouse everything moves about three weeks earlier.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

Greenhouse

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 2 days	—	—
Growth	every 4 days	—	phosphorus and potassium, at the start of the stage
Flowering	every 4 days	—	—

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 2 days	—	—
Growth	every 7 days	—	phosphorus and potassium, at the start of the stage
Flowering	every 7 days	—	—

At home

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 2 days	—	—
Growth	every 3 days	—	phosphorus and potassium, at the start of the stage
Flowering	every 3 days	—	—

Growing notes

Light

Sun or part shade; in warm weather a spot with morning sun and afternoon shade is best.

Soil

Rich, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter, pH 5.4–5.8. Above pH 5.8 boron and iron deficiencies and black root rot become more likely.

Care

Sow indoors 7–9 weeks before planting out, covering the seed lightly; it germinates in 4–7 days at 17–20 °C. Direct sowing is not recommended. Plant out 15–25 cm apart, in spring or, where winters are mild, in autumn. Water about 25 mm a week, never in the late afternoon or evening, and avoid wetting the leaves. Mix a slow-release or low-nitrogen fertiliser in at planting. Remove faded flowers for the longest bloom.

Pests and diseases of Pansy

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.