Pansy

Season

Autumn

Name

Viola x wittrockiana

Common Name

Pansy

Description

Pansies are good for planting in pots and containers. They have large, hardy blooms and come in a range of bright colours.

Growing Tips

Growing conditions

Pansies like to grow in a well drained, moist soil in full sun or partly in the shade.

When to grow

You can sow the seeds in early October for the plants to flower in the spring. See the seed packet for details of other times of the year you can sow the seeds.

What you need

• A packet of pansy seeds
• A seed tray or pot
• Compost
• A polythene bag
• Larger pots
• A hand trowel
• Gardening gloves

How to grow

The seeds need to be sown indoors and put in a warm place in order for them to germinate. Alternatively, you can plant them outside where they will grow:

1. Make sure you weed the space where you are going to sow your seeds and choose a dry day. Rake the soil to a fine tilth, this is when the soil looks crumbly, and rake the soil so that it is level. Decide where your row or rows of seeds will be planted.
2. Using a hand trowel make a shallow line about as deep as a child’s thumb. Carefully sow your seeds in the row, in an even way, leaving a finger space between the seeds. Gently cover the seeds up. Make sure your watering can has a ‘rose’ on the end so that the water comes out gently.
3. Watch as your seeds grow into plants. You may need to protect your seedlings with horticultural fleece if the weather is frosty.
4. Enjoy the flowers in the summer, the insects will like them as much as you.