Pansy care: tips for watering, fertilising & overwintering

In spring and autumn, pansies can captivate with their flowering splendour. But how to care for them and how to successfully overwinter? Learn all about pansy care in this article.

Garden pansies (Viola × wittrockiana) stand out not only because of their name. They convince with their colourful, characteristic flowers, which shine at us from March from planting bowls or the bed. But despite their imposing appearance, pansies, like almost all representatives of the genus of violets (Viola), are incredibly modest and with proper care extremely hardy. Even sub-zero winter temperatures are no problem if proper winter protection is provided.

Pansy care

In a partial shade to sunny spot in the garden or on the patio, your pansies can nod serenely toward the sun and produce lots of colourful blooms. You do not even have to dig deep into your bag of tricks to achieve this. Aside from a nutrient-rich, water-permeable soil, these hardy little plants do not need much to be happy. No wonder they are one of the most popular bedding and balcony plants. If you want to prolong the flowering phase, simply clean out withered flowerheads and broken plant parts regularly.

Watering pansies

Pansies are extremely sensitive when it comes to waterlogging. With too much moisture, plants are susceptible to root rot or leaf spot disease. Accordingly, the substrate should never be wet, but always moist. Low-lime rainwater is recommended as watering water.

Fertilising pansies

In terms of nutrient requirements, the pansy is quite frugal – so fertilising is not absolutely necessary. It is sufficient to add humus, compost or a slow-release fertiliser to the soil before planting the pansies. This provides a long-term supply of nutrients. Our Plantura Flower Food is such a slow-release fertiliser and releases its nutrients gently and sustainably to the pansies.

Potted plants get a light dose of fertiliser every two to four weeks. For this purpose, liquid fertiliser is added to the watering water. For example, our Plantura Liquid Flower Food is an excellent choice. Again, more is not always better. When over-fertilised, pansies are prone to length growth and disease infestation. It also inhibits root growth.

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Summary: Proper care, watering and fertilising of pansies.

• Location: Sun to semi-shade
• Soil: Nutrient-rich, water-permeable
• Deadheading withered flowerheads
• Watering: Keep substrate moist, but not wet; very sensitive to waterlogging.
• Fertilise: Submixture of slow release fertiliser or humus / compost.
• Potted plants: Liquid fertiliser in the irrigation water every 2 – 4 weeks

Successfully overwintering pansies

Wild pansy (Viola tricolor) is at home in meadows, roadsides, and fallow areas in Central Europe. Accordingly, the wild form must be able to tolerate a little snow from time to time. It has passed on this winter hardiness to its domesticated relatives. Planted in the bed, garden pansies tolerate winter temperatures. How hardy the plants are, however, varies from variety to variety. But with a few simple steps you can increase the likelihood of successful overwintering any variety:

• October: prune to just above the ground
• Cover plants with conifer branches, fleece, brushwood, leaves, moss or bark mulch
• Neither water nor fertilise
• End of February/beginning of March: removal of winter protection

Covering the plants serves not only as protection from prolonged periods of frost. It also protects the plants from bare frost in winters without snow. If the root balls are frozen, the plant can not absorb water. If there is no protection from the winter sun, evaporation of water occurs and the plant dies. Pansies in pots need all-around winter protection. They are cut back, covered with fleece and the pot is wrapped with fleece or newspaper. Then the pots are wintered in a protected, cool place such as the basement or gazebo. Covered plants are also lightly watered in the winter. Fertilisation is not necessary. In early to late March, the plants are again freed from their comfortably warm sleeping bag.

Note: When snow falls, it should be left on the pansies, as it acts like a warming blanket.

Growing pansies perennially

Commercially available pansies are annual or biennial plants. After the second year, the little plants have left behind the flowering phase of their lives and cross the threshold of well-deserved old age. Beauty is a transient attribute. It is up to you whether granny should make way for younger, more respectable specimens or is allowed to spend a quiet retirement in a corner of your garden.