😊 Pansy

Viola × wittrockiana
Little faces that bloom through frost like winter personally offended them.
Sun
Full sun to part shade
Days to harvest
Fall-planted; blooms fall through spring
Spacing
6-8 inches apart
Soil pH
6.0-6.5

How to grow

Plant transplants in fall for the classic cool-season display — pansies are the backbone of Florida winter color, blooming straight through freezes that kill lesser annuals. They want rich, moist soil and regular feeding to keep the flowers coming. In spring heat they stretch, fade, and bow out — pull them when nights stay warm and replant in fall.

Water & feeding

Keep evenly moist; mulch to keep roots cool — dry roots in warm spells trigger the spring meltdown early.

Common problems

  • Leggy in heat — normal; it's their exit cue.
  • Aphids and slugs in damp weather.
  • Crown rot in soggy soil.

Harvest

Deadhead or pick flowers regularly — every picked bloom is two more coming; flowers are edible and gorgeous on cakes.

Nerdy fact: Pansies got their 'faces' from dark nectar guides that steer bees to the center — and breeders spent 200 years selecting for bigger, flatter faces. We literally bred a flower to look back at us.

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