The Best Growing Conditions for Pansies

The pansy flower has a fragrant bloom and comes in a variety of colors. The petals can be a solid color like blue or yellow, or they can have a single color with black lines extending from the center. The last type of pansy has a dark face at the center and then a single color radiating from the center. The flowers are most fragrant at twilight and at dawn.

The pansy is related to the viola, which is tricolor flower cultivated by the ancient Greeks. The flower petals of this flower are single, and have five petals that are round in shape. Pansies grow low to the ground, and produce one flower per stem. Pansies are hardy plants and can with stand frost, and cool weather

Plant pansies in well-draining soil. Use plenty of organic compost mixed with mulch to retain moisture. Mulching pansy beds in the winter keeps them warm. A straw mulch or pine mulch does the job. Organics can come in the form of leaf mold, cow manure, meal or blood meal. Till or work in organic material to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Mix a 5-10- 5 (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) starter fertilizer into the soil. Pansies like moist soil, so the more organic material in the soil the more moisture will be retained. When watering, the goal is to keep the planting bed moist but not too wet. Too wet will invite disease. Water the pansies weekly during the growing season with about 1 inch of water.

Pansies require a cool, moist environment and prefer full to partial sun. This is why pansies do so well in the winter time--they thrive in the cold. Pansies can not take too much heat, so in southern regions plant them in a cool, dry partial shade. In places where the summers are moderate, pansies can be planted in full sun. You can plant them with other flowers since the pansy is low growing and does not mind crowded conditions. They can also be planted indoors and in planter boxes, just make sure there is plenty of light. Plant flowers 6 inches apart.

The pansy is a year-round plant in temperate climates, but to ensure success they should be planted as seeds during specific times of year. The pansy's ideal temperature is 40 degrees F at night to 60 degrees F during the day. If you live in the North you can start planting the seeds at the end of July and in August for winter blooms. In the South, plant the seeds in August for winter blooms. Transfer seedlings to the ground when they have five leaves. The flowers can also be sprouted inside during January and February for summer blooms.

Pansies are frequently sold by the flat in nurseries in early spring and in the fall. In this case, just make sure you plant the pansies six weeks prior to the killing frost so the transplanted flower has time to root and to acclimate itself to the cold.