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Flower Highlight - Pansy (Pansies)

 
Steward of piddlers
Posts: 7459
Location: Upstate New York, Zone 5b, 43 inch Avg. Rainfall
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Welcome to the first instillation of a series that I am creating titled 'Flower Highlight'. I intend on exploring different varieties of flowers that have been or could be grown as well as soliciting knowledge from the folks at Permies. I don't have a developed knowledge of many flowers so I hope this will serve as a tool for learning! Anywho, lets get into it.

Pansies in pots


Flower Name

Pansy, Garden Pansy

Flower Info

From what I have read, pansies are a hardier flower that can be grown with success in USDA zones 2-9. The flower has a long blooming period provided it has plenty of sun exposure. I think that it is neat that pansies are technically a perennial but tend not to fare well in the heat. I find that kind of surprising with the flower's love of sunlight! I have not tried growing the flower from seed, but I have heard conflicting information on the level of difficulty in being successful growing them.





Do you grow pansies? Do they have any uses outside looking beautiful? Any good stories out there?
 
Timothy Norton
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This year, I am planning on making a few potted arrangements with pansies and bulb-based flowers. I have a local greenhouse that has some really impressive starts so I'm 'cheating' this year with avoiding the germination process.
 
steward
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Location: USDA Zone 8a
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Where I live folks find the pansies for their color during winter.

They will also survive a freeze.
 
pollinator
Posts: 121
Location: South Zone 7/8 - Formerly Deep South, Zone 9
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@TimothyNorton

Germinating flower seeds seems to be next level super powers! I sow and sow veggies after sowing flowers and then remember, oh my! There might be flowers here. haha! I would definitely love some quality starts - hope they go great for you!
 
gardener
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pansy flowers are edible! that’s always worth some extra points!
 
Timothy Norton
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This weekend had an hour spent potting up some Pansies.

Pansies in pots on a front porch
 
pollinator
Posts: 1407
Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b
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Once when I was a kid my mom had a little gardenbox full of pansies on the porch stoop.  The next spring I was laying in the grass across the front yard and was thrilled to find a lone and very happy pansie bloomed in the grass!

I love their beautiful little "faces".  Thanks for letting us know they're edible too!  Its fun to add flowers to salads, and I hear that deep frying flowers is tasty, sometime this year we need to try it.
 
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Location: Bend OR 5a on the dry side of Cascadia, 4300 ft
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All related violas and violets are not only edible but also medicinal.  Not African violets, different family. Violets are also called Heart's Ease, soothing spirits that are heartbroken and grieving. Pansies, violets, Johnny Jum Ups all work and taste pretty much the same.
 
gardener
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Location: Zone 6b
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I have native field pansy (Viola bicolor) in the back yard. The tiny flowers bloom at the same time as tiny bluet and henbit in early spring.
20260314.jpg
Field pansy wildflower
Field pansy wildflower
 
Anne Miller
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Pansy plants to transplant are only available during winter in my Zone 8, as they prefer temperatures between 50 F and 70 F.

My spring and summers are too hot for them to survive.

Here they are best treated as fall-through-spring annuals.

Too bad because they are so pretty ....
 
master pollinator
Posts: 5317
Location: Due to winter mortality, I stubbornly state, zone 7a Tennessee
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Anyone know if pansies can be propagated vegetatively?
 
gardener
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Location: N. California
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I love pansies partly for their adorable faces, and part because my grandmother loved and always grew them, so they bring lovely memories.
I grow them every year. I have had them reseed themselves a couple of times. I have tried to grow them from seed I got them to sprout and grow an inch or two and then they stall and don't do much. This year I'm going to start them in late July under shade cloth. I think I have been starting them to late? I'm determined to figure it out.
IMG20241116145336.jpg
a little wheelbarrow I made for my pansy's
a little wheelbarrow I made for my pansy's
 
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Pansies from seed are weirdly fiddly for something that self-sows so freely. I think the timing thing is probably your issue, they really want cool soil to get going properly. Late July under shade cloth sounds like a solid plan, that should give them enough time to bulk up before autumn. The ones I've had best luck with were started when nights were still cool and they had a bit of a chill to push them along.
 
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