Planting pansies is one of the easiest ways to add color to your landscape. Here are a few tips to keep them looking bold and beautiful throughout the fall and winter months:
• Start with good, quality plants. Select plants that are healthy with no insects. Look for plants that have dark green leaves and compact growth of stems, leaves and flowers.
• Buy larger plants for longer blooming. Generally, if you are planting very early, the smaller ones will have time to establish their roots. For longer bloom times, buy slightly larger plants that already have larger root systems and will bloom earlier and longer.
• Plant your pansies at the right time in a well-prepared bed. That’s through Oct. 1 in north Georgia, until Oct. 15 in middle Georgia and from Oct. 15 to Nov. 1 in south Georgia.
• Be sure to plant the pansies in a bed that has good drainage. A bed elevated 6 to 8 inches above the existing grade provides good drainage.
• Remove old vegetation and old mulch from existing beds to minimize disease carry-over.
• Apply the right fertilizer; pansies have definite feeding preferences. Avoid using the slow-release ammoniacal nitrogen fertilizers commonly used on summer annuals. Instead, look for a pansy-specific, high-nitrate formula fertilizer and consult the label for recommended application rates.
Source: College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
