2 Seasons of Bloom
While chrysanthemums are the flower that most gardeners associate with fall pansies should really be on every gardeners list of fall favorites. There are a lot of good reasons for this as pansies come in a variety of colors and are easy to grow but I enjoy the fact that I get 2 seasons of bloom from them for the price of 1 plant. Pansies can put on a stunning display deep into the fall in USDA zones 4 through 8 and they are so tolerant of the cold that they will come back and do it all over again in the spring! Now that is a bargain that is too good to pass up!
Pansies are a biennial which means that their growth starts in the late summer or fall and then, usually after a required period of cool temperatures, they finish their growing season the following spring. You may hear other names such as Johnny Jump-Up and Viola associated with pansies as well. It has been pretty universally accepted that the term pansy applies to these plants as well with the major difference being that true pansy flowers are larger than the flowers of these close cousins. Regardless of what “pansy” flower you choose they all provide the same 2 for 1 blooming benefit.
Pansies come in a variety of colors with perhaps green and black being the only two colors that are not part of the pansy line-up. While you can grow pansies from seed I prefer the “instant gratification” of plants and if you have large planting areas that you want to cover than plants are the way to go. Pansies can be grown in partly shady areas but do prefer full sun. The soil should be moist but not saturated and they will benefit from mulching both for moisture retention as well as protection from winter weather. Pansies are very adaptable and can be used in flower beds, containers and window boxes but I think they look their best when planted closely together in what becomes a blanket of color. As a result of the wide variety of colors that pansies come in you can get some striking color combinations. Some of my favorite combinations are purple and yellow flowers or red and white flowers.
While pansies will bloom beautifully in the fall I think they really shine in the spring. There is something about seeing pansies flowering, after a long winter, that says spring to me and as much as they look great together they also are a great companion to spring bulbs including daffodils and tulips. If all of this isn’t enough pansies are really easy to work with. One application of granular fertilizer, I use a 5-10-5 product myself, in the fall and another in the spring is all that is needed to get these beauties going. You can dead head the spent flowers if you want to but frankly, I don’t bother and they do just fine. They are not usually bothered by insects or diseases although slugs can be a problem and some varieties even have a scent to them. The only drawback is that pansies don’t tolerate the heat too well so as spring turns into summer the flower production starts to fade but after providing 2 seasons of bloom I’m willing to give them a break! They certainly give us out money’s worth don’t they?
