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I send thee pansies while the year is young, Yellow as sunshine, purple as the night; Flowers of remembrance, ever fondly sung. By all the chiefest of the Sons of Light; And if in recollection lives regret. For wasted days and dreams that were not true, I tell thee that the "pansy freak'd with jet" Is still the heart's ease that the poets knew. Take all the sweetness of a gift unsought, And for the pansies send me back a thought.… Sarah Doudney
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 A fashionable Victorian flower, pansies were supposed to be the flowers of lovers. Legend has it that pansies could transfer the thoughts of sweethearts without spoken words. The word "pansy" is reported to be derived from the French, "pensee," which translates as "thought." When near pansies, it was believed that one could hear their lover's thoughts. They were a popular ingredient in "love potions", and have been written about by Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and many others.
Pansies are a popular cool weather flower. Here in the South, their cheery blooms make us smile through the dreary gray days of winter. A splash of color in an otherwise monotone landscape. Further north, they are the first transplants to make it to the garden centers. They are joyfully carried home by gardeners who are longing for a living spot of green, gold, and purple to herald the coming of Spring. Technically a perennial plant, pansies are best used as an annual or a biennial. They are members of the large Viola family and their proper name is Viola wittrockiana. Their first season tends to be their best, and they deteriorate in the heat of summer. Plan for using them in the cooler seasons. Most gardeners treat them as a half hardy annual, and replace them with more heat tolerant plants as the summer warms. In the southern states, pansies are planted in September and October to give us color throughout the winter. Even in the Upper South, here in west Kentucky, pansies are planted. Freezes shut them down for a short period of time, but as soon as temperatures moderate, they spring back and bloom their heads off. They are quite popular across the Mid-south, and bloom continuously in areas such as Alabama and Georgia. Our cool, damp winters are perfect for these plants. When our blast furnace summers arrive, they shrink and fade away. Further north, they make an excellent mainstay to garden plantings. They are perfect for rock gardens, and are quite content in containers also.  Growing pansies from seed is not as simple as scattering a few in a pot of soil and waiting. The seeds germinate best in soil temperatures between 60 and 65 F. This means that the customary use of a heat mat is not necessary. They also require total darkness for germination. After sowing the seeds, sprinkle about 1/8" of seed starting mix over them, and cover the flats with a board or cloth. Check on the progress frequently. Germination can take between 10 and 20 days. Move the seedlings to a cool, bright area as soon as they emerge, taking care to keep the seedlings moist. They can be transplanted as soon as they have two sets of true leaves.
Pansies like sunny moist conditions. They bloom best when there is ample water, but do not tolerate wet feet. They are also heavy feeders, and a fertilizer formulated for blooming flowers should be applied every two or three weeks. Dead-heading your pansies will promote more blooms for a longer period of time. Few pests bother pansies, slugs are the worst. Use a recommended slug bait, or saucers full of beer to eliminate them. Aphids also like pansies, and an insecticidal soap will eliminate them. Just be sure not to use pesticides if you are planning to use your pansies in the kitchen. Yes, the colorful blooms are quite attractive, and are also edible. They make a pretty garnish for salads, and blossoms frozen in ice cubes are quite nice for a luncheon. With a little imagination, pansy blossoms can be used in a number of ways in the kitchen. They make a beautiful addition to any Spring meal, even if only as a decoration. When choosing pansy transplants at the garden center, pick plants that are just starting to show buds or blooms. Flats full of pretty flowers are usually the gardener's first instinct, but these plants are stressed in their small cell packs trying to produce blossoms. As hard as it is to wait, choosing the smaller, less colorful plants will pay dividends in the long run. The new transplants will be able to produce a better root system before having to support a great number of flowers. They will reward you with a bigger and better show in a few weeks. Pansies are a lovely little flower with an interesting history. They have charmed people with their face-like markings, and their resilient determination to bloom in many conditions. The pansy is an excellent choice for cool weather blooms, and will happily reward you with color when many plants cannot. Spring is here! It's time for pansies!
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I come from a long line of Kentuckians who love the Good Earth. I love to learn about every living thing, and love to share what I've learned. Photography is one of my passions, and all of the images in my articles are my own.
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Subject: Double your money
Posted by birder17 (from Jackson, MO) on April 1, 2008 at 10:49 PM:I plant pansies every fall and I get fall blooms. The pansies go dormant in the winter and late winter-early spring, they start blooming again. I also bought some 6 pack pansies in the clearance area of Lowes for 50 cents. I put them in my window boxes on the deck. It's nice to look out my kitchen window and see some color. It's been a really cold, WET spring this year. I put pansies in a pot and they last until late July in the shade at my front door. They are so pretty. ...
Subject: Great article!
Posted by adinamiti (from Bucuresti
(Romania)) on April 1, 2008 at 12:42 PM:Melody, congratulations for such a beautiful article, so romantic! I never knew about the pensee, thanks for this info! In Romania the pansies are called " 3 spotted brothers" and are used in allergy treatments as tea.
Adina ... Posted by melody (from Benton, KY) on April 1, 2008 at 4:34 PM: How interesting! Thanks so much for the compliments and the information. ...
Subject: Melody made me buy some pretty pansies!
Posted by tabasco (from Cincinnati (Anderson, OH) on March 31, 2008 at 6:37 PM:How could I deny myself after your description of this favorite floral of the Victorians?!
A very interesting article and next year I'm going to try to grow my own! ... Posted by melody (from Benton, KY) on April 1, 2008 at 4:34 PM: Happy to enable another addict! ...
Subject: my favorites
Posted by Kathleen (from Panama, NY) on March 31, 2008 at 8:09 AM:and I'm going looking for some soon, there's enough snow off to see that not many survived this winter. You didn't mention that the more you pick them, the more they bloom, one of the best things about them if you have little people around. ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on March 31, 2008 at 10:34 AM: Me too, as the 2 full flats sitting on my porch can testify too! I do love pansies, so they are little jewels and I'm planting in front of my new rose bed this year. Right now, it's raining cats, dogs and other things, so I'm waiting not to patiently to get them out and in the ground.
Thanks for the reminder and for sharing. ... Posted by Annepaola (from Manahawkin, NJ) on March 31, 2008 at 10:55 AM: I am in zone 7. I have some seeds but I guess it is too late to plant them for this spring and summer. Perhaps I will save them til August and try them then. ... Posted by sallyg (from Millersville, MD) on March 31, 2008 at 11:53 AM: Excellent- You said it all. I get them every year to bloom off and on in winter in a warm part of my yard. Now ( late March) they are huge and blooming their faces off. Even in a cool spot I can get the cheap last pansies of fall and they usually live thru and grow in spring. With your seed germ help, I might try again on that. ... Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on March 31, 2008 at 1:06 PM: Oh, one of my favorites. I have so many blooming now that were planted in October. Great article as always, Melody. ... Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on March 31, 2008 at 3:01 PM: I planted some by my front stoop just last week! I love their cheerful "faces." To me, the blue ones seem to taste the best... a hint of, hmm, cucumber maybe? a little bit like borage, I think. I planted them all around the front foundation bed the first spring we were here, and the neighborhood kids all enjoyed them. They'd bring school friends over too, to show them the joys of pansy picking/munching... One young girl introduced me proudly, "This is Miss Jill... she eats flowers!" LOL ... Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on March 31, 2008 at 3:03 PM: I got so caught up in talking about pansies, I neglected to say...
Melody, thank you so much for a wonderful and informative article about these charming flowers! ... Posted by melody (from Benton, KY) on March 31, 2008 at 3:03 PM: :) ...
Subject: I succumbed . . .
Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on March 31, 2008 at 8:07 AM:Very timely and informative, Melody, thank you. I recently succumbed to my baser instincts and bought a flat of purple pansies. In Boston, we're desperate. It's technically spring, but . . .? (Don't worry, we're like this every year.) xx, Carrie ... Posted by jayne_a (from Missoula, MT) on March 31, 2008 at 2:23 PM: Thanks for the historical background, Melody. My father, who is an avid gardener, has just a few days to live, and I am heading back east to be with the family. At my first opportunity I will find a basket of pansies for my mother, who is grieving terribly because he can no longer speak to her. ... Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on March 31, 2008 at 2:27 PM: Oh, Jayne, how sad. I will pray for them. And you can't go wrong with such a lovely gift. ... Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on March 31, 2008 at 2:31 PM: Yes, Jayne, our thoughts and prayers are with your family this week - the gift of pansies.
x, Carrie ... Posted by melody (from Benton, KY) on March 31, 2008 at 3:02 PM: Thoughts and prayers here also. Pansies shouldn't be hard to find at all this time of year. Any big box store with a garden center will have bunches. even further north than me. As Carrie said, they're available in MA right now.
A lovely thought about the gift of pansies for your Mom. My grandmother always said that they were her favorite flower. ... Posted by gessiegail (from Taft, TX) on March 31, 2008 at 10:39 PM: Next fall in late November, I promise to get pansies, petunias, nasturiums and all the cool weather flowers to cheer us all during the winter months. Thanks for the reminder of just how pretty pansies are. ... Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on March 31, 2008 at 11:10 PM: I have some silk ones in my planters because the critters eat or dig up the real ones....and someone has actually bitten off some of the silk ones! LOL (I miss the real ones!) ... Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on April 1, 2008 at 3:49 PM: So they're actually NOT care-free after all? Carrie ... Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on April 1, 2008 at 6:54 PM: LOL, nope! I found one of the "flowers" about 25 feet away, but several others are still missing. I just hope whoever ate them doesn't suffer from it. ... Posted by birder17 (from Jackson, MO) on April 1, 2008 at 10:57 PM: My thoughts and prayers are with you Jayne. It's so hard-especially for your mom. Surround yourself with family and friends, the support helps. ...
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