Since it’s now officially fall, we know what that means…it means that our summer annuals are not going to be with us much longer. The way many gardeners deal with this potentially depressing information is to get ready to plant pansies.

Since pansies are such a popular garden plant, there are about 300 different varieties of these flowers. While your favorite garden center probably won’t have 300 varieties of pansies for you to choose from, they will have a great selection soon, if not already.

Why do we like pansies in the garden? Well, not only are they beautiful and prolific, but they are also pretty tough. You’ll realize how tough they are when you see their little flowers sticking up through the snow at some point this winter.

In the pretty color category, you’ll be able to find pansies that are solid colors. These are known as clear-faced pansies. Pansies that have a darker center and two tones are known as blotched pansies.

Typically, we purchase pansies in trays of 18, 24, or 36 plants. The fewer the number of plants in a tray, the more likely these plants have a well-developed root system, but not always. Don’t be afraid to pop a pansy out of the tray (or any plant for that matter) to take a look at its roots. You’ll want nice, white, healthy-looking roots. If they are brown and not looking so good, put them down and continue the search.

Pansies are pretty forgiving as to where you plant them and will do well in pots or in the ground. When planting, just make sure they are in well-drained soil. Wet roots will diminish the robustness of the plant.

When planting pansies, it’s not a bad idea to add some amendments to your soil. Compost or composted manure work great, but you don’t want this new organic matter to be more than 25% of the soil whether in the ground or in pots.

While pansies do survive the winter, they can be less than optimal when temperatures get below 25 degrees. However, when it warms up, here they are again, brightening up your landscape.

One challenge many a gardener has experienced is waiting until their summer annuals die back before going out to get replacement pansies. If you do this, you just might find the garden center has already sold out all of their pansies. So, in the near future, you’re just going to have to be brave and make the transition.

Either way, pansies, and their cousins violas are some of our favorite plants to help brighten up the cold, dark days of winter. Good luck!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Photo: Tom Ingram