Can i grow pansies inside

Learn which plants thrive in your Hardiness Zone with our new interactive map! Pansies tend to grow stringly or leggy when exposed to excessive amounts of sunlight. If this happens simply trim the leggy limbs, and move it into less sunlight. Pansies are defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary as a garden plant derived from Johnny-jump-ups and other wild violets. Despite their name these flat-faced flowers are a hardy plant species known for their cool weather tolerance.

In most gardens pansies can be found in beds, boarders or pots. Pansy flowers come in all sorts of colors from white, yellow, purple, through to my favorite — blue. Many have coloration in the center that often looks like a face. Traditionally, pansies will bloom in spring to early summer and some will repeat bloom again in the fall.

Pansies really do not like the heat at all, and you will find that they will start to decline as the days begin to really warm up. Deadheading is the process of removing any faded blooms.

Just use your finger tips or some scissors to cut off the blooms that are fading or are past their best. Cut off the blossom stem just above the first sets of leaves. Since pansies perform best in the cooler months, it is normal to plant them in the late fall or very early spring. Be careful of timing, though, if you plant in the fall. Get them in the ground before the coldest months arrive. This will allow the roots to spread and the plants to get well established before the weather turns really cold.

Pansies are one of the few flowering plants that can really take some cold weather, so they are useful as a plant to give color when nothing much else is growing. Plant it around the base of flowering spring bulbs or as a border plant. Use large patches of them of one color, alternating with another color pansy for a striking look.

Garden pots, window boxes , and handing baskets all look lovely when planted with pansies. The plant attracts butterflies and bees and looks wonderful as a border plant around a whole garden bed.

Both the leaves and the flowers of pansies are edible and can be used to make syrups or used as a plate garnish or in salads. Pansies grow differently from zone to zone. Annual plants are those that grow and flower for only one season and perennials are those that come back each year when planted.

Depending on where you live, and the type of pansy that you plant, it can behave like an annual, a perennial giving two years of bloom like a foxglove does or a perennial.

In their natural habitats, pansies are biennials. The first year, they will grow leaves and the second year, you will see the flowers. Biennial pansies might not survive Midwest winters or hot Southern summers.

Even in zones where they can technically be grown as perennials, they are short lived and many tend to deteriorate after their first year of bloom. On the West Coast, in warm areas like Southern California, biennial pansies can survive all year long, with new plants returning the following season to flower and finish out their growing cycle.

Pansies are winter hardy in zones 4 — 8. In zones , pansies will bloom in the winter and are usually planted in the fall.

Pansies can take winter temperatures down to about 26 degrees Fahrenheit. The type of soil you use for your pansy can have a significant effect on its health. Soil holds essential nutrients for pansy plants to grow and flower. Pansies need good quality fertilizer to grow healthy , and the quality and the timing count a lot.

Use a slow-release fertilizer for your pansies. Mix the fertilizer into the soil to get the best results. If you live in warmer zones, refrain from giving pansies fertilizers that contain excessive amounts of nitrogen during September.

This extra nitrogen can cause the plant to overstretch. When this happens, your pansies will eventually become weak and die. You can easily buy commercial soil mixes that contain slow-release fertilizers, perfect when you have pansies in pots. Apply fertilizer after propagating to encourage growth. Pansies are cool-weather flowers that are considered annuals in most places. If you live in areas with a warmer or moderate climate, you can grow pansies year-round.

Too much heat and humidity can also stress newly transplanted pansies. Make sure to put them in shady areas or mist the plants to cool their leaves. Misting your pansies the right way can normalize their pH levels and ensure that the plant remains cool. Aside from producing colorful flowers, many people grow pansies because these are generally pest-free.

Although this variety might attract aphids during early spring, you can quickly address the problem using insecticidal soap. Spray the pansies with this product early in the morning or evenings when the temperature is cool. Slugs are also attracted to these plants and will feed on their tender leaves. When left unaddressed for long periods, slugs can cause unsightly damage to your pansy plants.

Fortunately, you can prevent this from happening by using a slug bait to trap this pest. These products contain food and poison that kills slugs. Propagation is the practice of growing new plants from cuttings, seeds, and other plant parts. Plant propagation allows you to obtain new varieties of plants without spending a lot of money or implementing complex processes. Propagation also prevents the transmission of diseases among plants.

When propagating these plants from seeds, only use a well-draining seed-starting mix. You can mix this with a handful of perlite to improve drainage. The ideal environment for germination includes growing lights and a temperature of 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Just like other types of plants, you can also propagate pansies from cuttings. Select a healthy parent plant and cut about a 3-inch section below its node. Remove the lower leaves and put the plant in well-draining, moist and fertile soil. You can also cover the pot with plastic and apply the same procedures mentioned above to maintain moisture and temperature. For a more straightforward propagation method, divide pansies by hand and plant them immediately in pots.

Pansy is a biennial, although it is usually bought in bloom, treated as an annual and tossed in the compost bin at the end of the season. You can keep it indoors to extend the bloom time. Biennials have a 2-year life cycle. Grown from seed, they produce foliage the first year, then flower, set seed, and die the second year. Many newer pansy hybrids have been bred to bloom the first year. Low and compact, pansies are ideal for containers.

Or plant them in hanging baskets at eye-level for all to admire. If you don't have a spot outdoors, put pansies on your sunny windowsill. Pinch off flowers after they fade to promote more blooms. It's work, yes -- but you'll have a long growing season by pinching spent flowers. Got a reluctant bloomer? Lack of sunlight or too-high temperatures will make pansy plants fail to flower.