Cool Wave pansies (Photo by Allen Owings)

Over the past couple years, companies have released new pansies with trailing growth habits, and fall in Louisiana is the best time to add pansies to the landscape.

Cool Wave pansies are one of the new trailing series. Their development involved more than 10 years of breeding.

Cool Wave trailing pansies do well in baskets, containers and landscape beds. They have “twice the spread” and “double the color” of older pansy varieties.

Initial flower color offerings in the Cool Wave pansies are yellow, violet wing, white and frost. You can also purchase a mixed combination. Cool Wave pansies have the flower numbers and weather tolerance of violas along with an ideal medium-size flower.

To enjoy pansies all season long, properly prepare the bed to allow for good internal drainage and aeration. Make sure soil pH is between 5.5-6.0. Add fresh, nutrient-rich, finished compost, which also is a great source of organic matter. For a traditional fertilizer approach, apply a slow-release fertilizer at planting. Most slow-release fertilizers for home use are three- to four-month formulations.

Pansies do best when planted in full sun, but they can tolerate a few hours daily of partial shade. Be aggressive and plant them in masses for the best visual enhancement. Space individual plants 8-10 inches apart and at least 3-4 rows deep.

Allen Owings
Rick Bogren