Annuals - Pansy
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  (February) I was wondering if others have had poor results with pansies this winter. Ours put out flowers that don't open, plus the plants seem to be stunted. The landscapers put down a mulch of either pine or cedar bark, could this be affecting the plants? Last year we had very nice plants.

  The mulch had nothing to do with it. You are not alone. Pansies, for the most part, look awful this year. The extremes from hot to cold did not sit well with them. For some reasons, the violas seem to have fared a bit better, but winter annual color has not been the best. During our next warm phase, give them a shot of fertilizer. If there is life left in them, they should eventually bounce back and re-bloom -- about the time we start to plant our summer color!

  (October) I have a couple of questions regarding pansies and violas. Will either of these live in hanging baskets? I always put them in beds and pots. I have never planted violas and was quite interested in them, but sometimes you have to take what you can find. My house is a dark reddish brick and some colors don't look good with the brick. I don't know how to combine colors to make them look good. I normally use a solid color (usually yellow) for a better showing but sometimes have to plant the mixed colors. I would appreciate any information you can give me. Also, my beds are quite large so I have to plant a lot. Usually in the fall I plant as many as 500 pansies in all my beds. Is there something I can plant in the beds so I won't have to use so many plants? I was thinking of lantana and fill in with the pansies or violas. I know they die back in the fall but then I could fill in with other annuals for spring and summer.

  While you can grow pansies and violas in containers, even hanging baskets, the size of the container will determine success. Small, shallow containers will often dry out very quickly -- even in the cooler months, and will also get a lot colder. This may shorten the life of the plants. Large hanging baskets should not be an issue, as long as you water. When planting winter color, there are other options. While violas and pansies are outstanding, consider dianthus, snapdragons, flowering kale and cabbage, Giant Red mustard and Bright Lights Swiss chard. Parsley and cilantro also make good winter fill. When it comes to adding color, think about grouping blocks of color for the most impact, and possibly using other shrubs, groundcovers and perennials in the bed for permanent fill. Large, entire beds of annual color are time consuming and quite a chore every spring and fall. I consider annuals the icing on the cake, giving spark to the landscape. Choose your color beds wisely to get the most impact. Lighter colors do stand out better and last longer in the day. Today, many annuals are sold in solid colors or in contrasting color combinations. Rarely will you see a flat of every color in the rainbow, which while showy, doesn't make as much of a color statement. One or two contrasting colors are usually best.

  (December) I bought and planted a flat of pansies early this fall. The pansies were blooming prettily when I put them out; but as soon as the blossoms faded, they quit blooming and there have been no more blooms. What do I need to do to assure further blossoms? The plants are thriving, growing tall and otherwise looking good; but no blooms. Help, help, help!!!!

  Make sure the pansies are planted where they get some sunlight. They won't bloom well in the shade. Pansies can be heavy feeders. Fertilize them when we get a warm day. In the future, fertilize at planting and then periodically throughout the cooler growing season. Hopefully, they will bounce back and begin to bloom. If not, they may be nice green plants, until late winter or early spring, but they should be full of blooms then. Not what you wanted to hear, I am sure.

  Why do I raise beautiful foliage and so few blooms? Am I using too much fertilizer? For instance, my pansies. I buy them in bloom, plant them in the yard, and they stop blooming. Help.

  Check the light situation. If they are growing in too much shade, you will get a nice plant with little in the way of flowers. Pansies do best in full sun. Other reasons for lack of blooms, can be too much nitrogen which sends the plants into foliage production often to the exclusion of blooms. With a diverse group of plants not blooming, I would suspect a lack of sunlight.

  In early December I planted pansies and used approximately 1 teaspoon of bone meal per plant. I have watered them when it was dry, but the plants have hardly grown. Did I get them out too late? Is there anything I can do to get them started growing and blooming?? 

  Pansies are heavy feeders, and respond well to nitrogen. December should have been a fine time for planting. Fertilize them every two to three weeks, and they should kick in and grow, and hopefully bloom.

  For a few weeks I've been noticing a "weed" growing just outside one of my flower beds. I started to pull it up, but then noticed it looked like a pansy. Well, the "weed" now has a yellow bloom and it is a pansy. How unusual is this?

Pansy plants can reseed themselves. They aren't as prolific as an impatien, but it does happen. Probably the most unusual part is that they bloomed while it is this hot. Heat and pansies don't go together well. It often produces a leggy plant with very small flowers. That is why we recommend starting with new plants every fall.

  I would like to replace my bedraggled summer annuals with pansies now. I also plan to plant daffodils and tulips. Because it has been so hot, will this hurt my bulbs if I go ahead and plant them now. Otherwise, I am afraid I will damage my pansies when I plant them later.

  You could go ahead and plant both, but to be honest, I would hold off on the pansy planting, if this heat lingers. Pansies and hot temperatures don’t meld well together. Heat causes pansies to stretch and get leggy. Wait for cooler temperatures before planting both plants and bulbs if you can. If you already have the plants, go ahead and plant--just be prepared to clip the pansies back once cool weather sets in.

  After our recent bout with winter, my pansies are cooked. Is there anything I can do to help them revive and begin to bloom again? I thought pansies were winter hardy and can take freezing temperatures. 

  Normally pansies are very winter hardy and will freeze solid during cold weather, to defrost and bloom again. We can again blame the mild fall and early winter for the problems with our pansies now. Most of them had not hardened off in preparation for winter and simply weren’t ready for winter. If you will look around town, you aren’t alone. I haven’t seen one healthy looking plant, except for those on sale at a local nursery. I think I would cut my losses and replant if you can find the material. I don’t think there is much hope for what we had. It is possible they will sprout back from the crown and recover eventually, but it will take time.

  Something is eating the blossoms off of my pansy plants. Only the stalks remain. My plants are planted in above the ground beds which are three landscape timbers high. Can you help me?

  There are a number of animals which could be the culprit. Rabbits are the usual candidate, but deer or squirrels have also been known to do this. The more woods there are around you, the broader the possibilities are. Try scare devices or even some temporary screening to keep them away until the plants recover. Scare devices have to be changed periodically, and nothing is one hundred percent fool-proof, but good luck.

  Pansies are my favorite flower and I always have good luck with them. However, last Spring one of my potted pansies was attacked by aphids and killed them before I realized what it was. I read on the Internet that if you get rid of ants you get rid of aphids because ants "round up" aphids. Is there anything to this? I have my ant traps ready!!

  Ants have been known to "herd" aphids for their food manufacturing of sweet honeydew. However, ants don't produce aphids or reduce their numbers. Ants may follow behind aphids, but you still need to control the aphids.

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