Smiling Pansies

It’s time to plant tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus, and many other flower bulbs for beautiful blooms next spring. Chrysanthemums can be planted in pots or flower beds for bright and cheerful flowers this fall. Look for rich, bright colors in the foliage of deciduous trees and shrubs—Japanese maples, fothergilla, snowball bush, and maple trees are beautiful right now. Ornamental cabbage makes a dramatic addition to flower beds over the winter. Crimson clover, fava beans, and rye grass will fortify your garden soil; seed these crops as you compost your summer vegetables.

About Pansies

The happy faces of pansies have appealed to gardeners for centuries. Developed from three wild species, modern pansies feature large flowers, beautifully marked “faces,” and a wide color range. They add color to the winter and spring garden over a long season. Pansies are low-growing flowers ideal for borders and containers, with heart-shaped, shiny green leaves and flowers rising on six-inch stems. Blooms can reach up to three inches across and come in violet, purple, blue, pink, red, orange, yellow, white, and many new bicolors.

• Matrix series: Impressive with a wide color range and a no-stretch habit.
• Ultima Radiance Pink Pansy: Beautiful pink flowers with white faces, yellow eyes, and deep purple streaks.
• Delta Pure hybrids: Solid-colored flowers in bright yellow, red, blue, white, and other colors.

Recent breeding improvements have produced hybrids that bloom longer, show better heat resistance and cold tolerance, and display a wider range of colors and patterns. Pansies thrive through wet, wintery weather, remain unaffected by snow, and rebound quickly after melting. They pair well with spring-flowering bulbs, filling in as bulbs finish their cycle.

Planting and Care

Plant pansies now to enjoy their blooms all fall, often throughout winter, and again from early spring until summer heat arrives. Ideally, plant them where they’ll receive shade in summer but full sun once trees lose their leaves and temperatures cool. Pansies love sun but dislike heat.

Violas, the smaller cousins of pansies, also offer interesting hybrids. The Sorbet series includes:

• Lemon Chiffon: Soft yellow and white.
• Orange Duet: Charming violet and orange flowers.
• Peach Melba: Peach and yellow petals tipped with red.

These varieties are dense and neat, spreading up to 12 inches across.

Edible Flowers

The flowers of pansies, violets, violas, and Johnny jump-ups are edible. Use them to decorate salads and cakes—they add color and a mild wintergreen flavor.

Explore new pansy varieties to bring vibrant color to your pots and flower beds this fall and winter.