Sowing pansies in January?

By Kathy Purdy January 21, 2003 – Posted in: Garden chores, Plant info

Lynda, you mentioned here that you were sowing pansies. This surprised me, as I normally don’t start pansies until the first week in March. When do you plant them out?

About the Author

Kathy Purdy is a colchicum evangelist, converting unsuspecting gardeners into colchicophiles. She gardens in rural upstate NY, which used to be USDA Hardiness Zone 4 but is now Zone 5. Kathy’s been writing since 4th grade, gardening since high school, and blogging since 2002. Find her on Instagram as kopurdy.

Rosemary tips and germination references.

Testing seed germination

Now, the digging and dividing of perennials, the general autumn cleanup and the planting of spring bulbs are all an act of faith. One carries on before the altar of delayed gratification, until the ground freezes and you can’t do any more other than refill the bird feeder and gaze through the window, waiting for the snow. . . . Meanwhile, it helps to think of yourself as a pear tree or a tulip. You will blossom spectacularly in the spring, but only after the required period of chilling.

~Adrian Higgins in The Washington Post, November 6, 2013

Comments on this entry are closed.

Kathy April 29, 2003, 9:05 pm

Pansies need cool, moist summers to do well, but my experience is that even when they get what they want, they don’t last more than a year or two. In zones warmer than 4, they are traditionally planted in the fall, and they bloom that fall, winter over, and bloom the following spring. Then the summer heat and drought kills them. In zones 4 and colder, most kinds will die over the winter, though they love our spring, summer, and fall. That’s why the hunt is on for a hardy pansy (see the recent April 2003 posts on this blog). Sometimes, if you’re lucky, some seed germinates in early spring, and it seems like they winter over. Smaller flowered violas such as Johnny-jump-ups seem to be better perennials.

Kim O'Brien April 29, 2003, 12:29 am

I would like to know how to keept pansies as a
perennial. I live in Massachusetts.
Thankyou, kkritters@attbi.com

Judy Miller April 22, 2003, 6:43 pm

It depends–if they were hardened off by the grower, they should be fine. You probably know by now! Mine in the unheated greenhouse freeze nearly every night and they are budding–spring cool weather is their favorite. If you are unsure if plants have been hardened off when you buy them, you can set them in a sheltered place outside for a few days/week to get them acclimatised before setting them out for good.
Good luck!