The garden pansy, Viola x wittrockiana, is a large-flowered hybrid derived from several wild violas, especially the heartsease, Viola tricolor. Flowers are usually five to eight centimetres across, with two upper petals, two side petals and a single lower petal that carries a small beard in the middle. The word pansy comes from the French for thought, which is why a pansy is a flower of remembrance.
A winter flower in the south
Pansies are cool-season plants. In Australia the sensible planting time is autumn, roughly March to May, so they flower through winter and spring. Summer heat finishes them off in most places, so treat them as annuals and replace them with something heat-tolerant in November or December.
- Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra, Adelaide: plant from March, flower until the first hot spell in spring.
- Sydney and Perth: plant April to May for winter colour.
- Brisbane and the subtropical coast: a winter bedding plant only, planted from late autumn.
- Darwin and the tropics: not suited.
Feeding and deadheading pansies
Full sun to part shade, free-draining soil and regular liquid feeding will keep plants blooming. Snails and slugs love pansies, so check at dusk. Pick spent flowers often. Plants that stretch and flower less in spring are telling you the season is over.
Edible flowers, with a catch
Pansy flowers are a common garnish. Use only flowers you grew yourself without sprays, not florist flowers. The ASPCA lists the closely related Johnny jump up (Viola tricolor) as non-toxic to pets.
