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Pansies – Ornamental Plant of the Week for Dec. 7, 2015

Matrix Morpheus pansy
Matrix Morpheus pansy (Photo by Allen Owings, LSU AgCenter)

Pansies are the “decoration of winter landscapes” in the South. With a multitude of flower colors and sizes, these are durable and well-justified cool-season bedding plants for November through April. Some keys to landscape success:

– Prepare the landscape bed properly to allow for good internal drainage and aeration. Make sure your soil comes from a reputable supplier. Cheap soil is “bad”; expensive soil is “good.”

– Add fresh, nutrient-rich, finished compost to landscape beds to provide nutrients. Compost also is a great source of organic matter.

– Apply a slow-release fertilizer at planting as a regular practice. Most slow-release fertilizers for home use are formulations that feed the plants for three to four months.

– Make sure landscape beds for pansies have a soil pH between 5.5-6.0. Pansies require more acidic growing conditions than some other bedding plants.

– Select a full-sun planting location. Eight hours of direct sun a day is best.

– Choose varieties with small and medium-sized flowers. These hold up better long term than larger-flowered pansy varieties. This is especially true when you have a winter with above-average rainfall.

– Irrigate only when needed. Over-watering leads to many problems with cool-season bedding plants.

– Be aggressive and plant in masses for the best visual enhancement. Space individual plants 8-10 inches apart and at least three to four rows deep.

– Removing old flowers (deadheading) is suggested by some horticulturists but typically is not needed.

Allen Owings
Rick Bogren

Last Updated: 12/4/2015 3:16:00 PM

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