Pansies and violas are perfect for Fall landscapes. Both offer excellent cold hardiness and seasonal color extension in warmer Southern locations. Follow these guidelines to get a few seasons of color from these top cool-season picks.

1. Start with bigger plants.

For those of you in the North, your soil starts to cool in October, with containers cooling even faster. Buy bigger plants for bed plantings to maximize instant Fall color. For larger containers, “pack them in” for best show. In the South, your soils are still warm until November, so you have some additional growing time in ground beds and containers. Make sure your grower has “hardened off” the plants (finished them outside) prior to planting, particularly if you plan to keep them in the ground over Winter.
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Violas are the best for keeping a great look in the beds through the Winter in the South. Sorbet violas work best.

2. Avoid root compaction!!!

‍Disease will easily set in if you plant pansies into compacted soils stomped on during the removal of Summer color items. Compaction doesn’t allow rapid root development and can aggravate water sitting at the root level, leading to water logging and disease. Most growers will apply a fungicide prior to ship. Ask if that’s the case.

3. Lack of feed shortens bed time on pansies.

Liquid fertilizer is best at 1 to 1.5 weeks after planting to supercharge the roots. Purple leaves mean “feed me” (phosphorus in particular). That will get your pansies to look best fast! Pansies are one of the low pH-loving plants (petunias and primulas are as well). Test the soil pH if you see signs of stress.