winter flowering pansies

My NY resolution was to 'get into gardening' and when it comes to the unskilled labouring bit I'm great! However, when it comes to the plants I'm completely clueless! Last year I planted up a hanging basket with winter pansies. They seem to have finished flowering now and produced loads of seed heads, which I have just spent 1/2 hour removing, though the plants are still very heathly with lots of new growth. What should I do with them now? Do I leave them in the basket somewhere in the garden until next year? Do they die back completely? Should I transplant them into my garden? HELP!!

Hi Nicky

Remove the seed heads, let them dry out, then open the pod and put seeds in an envelope and keep in a dry cool location or depending on your weather 3months from now you can start them in a soiless mix. Mine usually take an average of two months to show enough growth to transfer from my tray and then another month to start to show some budding.

Most pansy's should be deadheaded frequently to encourage new growth, our motto at the nursery I work at is...one bud per plant until they are mature and full enough to handle more...we never let a bloom 'die' on the plant but rather pinch it back to where it meets the stem. If a bloom is 'pulling' the pansy over that too gets pinched so the pansys don't become straggly. Crown rot is easy to have in Pansys so never plant them deeply...soil should be just level with the crown. They can take drier conditions better then they can wet ones so let them get nearly dry in between waterings...

I hope this info helps! Let me know if you have any other questions...I started working at a local nursery because the owner saw me in there so much I think he knew he could hire me and I would just spend my paycheck there LOL!

Thanks for the advice. I'll leave them in the basket for a few more weeks until the ground dries out in my garden, clay soil :( nightmare, then I'll plant them up. Is it a good idea to put course sand/grit in the hole to help with the drainage and so prevent crown rot?

Wish me luck.

HI Nicki,

I would recommend that you amend your soil where you are going to plant them, I think unamended clay soil will be too heavy for them and not provide good drainage. You don't need to amend your soil too deeply in the case of pansys - perhaps 4" deep and use a good soil mix picked up at any garden center. If you prefer to amend your soil on your own, sand will help and so will things like mulched leaves and anything from the compost pile if you have one. The idea is to get the clay broken up and worked in with some new soil, mulch and manure so it is not so compact and heavy. Hope this info helps and if you need anything else just let me know!

Deanna

And make sure you add the organic matter along with the sand...otherwise clay + sand = concrete.

Thanks guys. I've got plenty of manure for the fruit trees so I'm sure I can spare a bit for the pansies and the recently departed builders left me some sand so I guess I'm sorted. Just need it to stop raining so I can put my good intentions to the test!!