When the fall season arrives, it is time to discard your worn out summer annuals and replace them with colorful pansies or violas. Pansies and violas are members of the Viola species, which also includes true violets. Technically, there is no botanical difference between pansies and violas, but as a general rule, pansy blooms and leaves are larger than those of the viola. Violas have smaller blooms and leaves, but they produce greater numbers of flowers.

In the southeast, pansies and violas are considered cool season annuals and perform best when air temperatures range between 60 and 40 degrees. Established pansies and violas can usually tolerate our mild winter temperatures very well. They provide much needed color in the landscape from October until April. In the event of a hard freeze, pansy and viola plants may droop and temporarily discontinue their flower production. They do not have an extensive root system, but the roots are surprisingly hardy and the plants are very resilient. Once the soil thaws out, they generally bounce back and resume flowering.

There are hundreds of pansy and viola varieties and new varieties are introduced every year. Personal preference is usually the deciding factor. Color selection is often the first consideration when you are choosing pansies or violas. Some have solid colored blooms. Others have “faces” or dark blotches in the center of the blooms. There are some varieties that are especially heat and cold tolerant. Size may also be a determining factor. Some pansy plants are short and compact. Others have a larger growth habit. The following descriptions may make it easier to decide which pansies are right for your garden. Keep in mind that the pansies and violas mentioned here are just a sampling of the many varieties that are available at this time of year.

Crown pansies have large, solid colored blooms. They bloom early and have good heat and cold tolerance. Crystal Bowl pansies are compact plants that produce a multitude of heat tolerant flowers. They have bright, solid colored blooms that show up well in the landscape. As the names indicate, the brightly colored Majestic Giant and Colossus varieties have very large, 4 to 4 ˝ " blooms with dark, contrasting faces. The medium-sized blooms on Delta pansies come in blotched and solid colors. Their strong stems can support the weight of the vividly colored blooms and hold them upright. They have compact leaves and a low, spreading growth habit. Bingo pansies also have large, blotched blooms on sturdy stems. Sorbet is considered the premier viola series. These tiny blooms are available in twelve colors. The 'Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow' variety has white flowers that turn blue as they age.

Plant pansies and violas in a sunny location. Before planting, break up the clay soil and mix in a liberal amount of planting soil, mushroom compost or chicken manure. If drainage is a problem, mound the soil in the pansy bed. Because temperatures are cooler, pansies and violas do not need to be watered as often as summer annuals, but don’t let them become overly dry. Keep the planting bed uniformly moist. To encourage continuous blooms throughout the fall and winter, apply a bloom building fertilizer frequently. For best results, use a fertilizer that contains nitrate nitrogen. This form of nitrogen is much easier for the pansy or viola plant to absorb and process.