Beautiful pansies are known for their cheerful blooms and vivid colors. Pansies thrive in cold climates with long stretches of sunshine, which is why they are frequently planted in the spring. Though what about the summer? Can pansies last all summer long?
Beautiful flowers called pansies do well in cool climates. They are usually planted in the spring and fall. They are, however, rarely grown in the summer.
This is because the intense heat of the sun and the warm nights make them dislike summer. To survive the summer, pansies require extra care.
Read on to find out more about pansies’ bloom time and how to keep them alive in the summer if you’re considering including them in your garden.
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When Do Pansies Bloom?
Typically, pansies flower in the spring and early summer. They are frequently planted in cooler months because they bloom for a shorter time than the majority of other flowers.
They are a popular choice for spring gardens because their delicate flowers can withstand light frost. Maintaining pansies’ blooms throughout the summer, however, is one of the common difficulties with growing them in hot climates.
It’s critical to pick a variety of pansies that can withstand the heat if you live in a hot climate and want to include them in your summer garden.
Will Pansies Bloom in the Heat?
Colder climates are preferable to pansies. They are treated as annuals as a result in most places. Pansies can be grown all year long in regions like California with moderately warm climates.
Extreme heat is uncomfortable for pansies. They deteriorate and become lanky, and the flowers fail to bloom.
The best seasons for growing them are spring and fall. However, it is preferable to grow pansies in hot climates during the cooler months.
However, you will need to give them extra attention during the summer to get them going well. If you do, they won’t let you down and will bloom once more when the weather begins to cool off.
Will Pansies Last All Summer?
It depends on the type of pansy and where you live, to answer your question. Since pansies are cool-weather flowers, they usually survive longer in colder climates.
Planting pansies in colder climates may result in sporadic blooming throughout the summer. Until the weather turns cooler again, those living in hotter climates will probably enter a state of dormancy.
Even though these hardy flowers are low-maintenance, the hotter months might see them needing a little extra care. There are some things you can do to give them a fighting chance if you want them to bloom all summer long.
Extend Pansies’s Blooming Time in Summer
Both spring and autumn are when pansies bloom. They prefer cool weather conditions for growth because they dislike high temperatures and warm weather.
Because of this, they lose strength and vigor during the summer and frequently fail to bloom. In the summer, the summer heat can be so intense that they may even pass away.
Because of this, it’s critical to understand how to care for them during the summer. You need to understand how to keep them healthy during the hot summers.
Depending on how well they survive in various regions and climates, pansies can either be considered annuals or perennials. Some even go by the name biennials.
The majority of pansy species cannot withstand warm temperatures. Pansies vary in their ability to withstand heat, though.
When pansies are grown in the spring and fall, they eventually have to endure the arid summer, and special care is required to keep them healthy.
You may need to give your pansies extra care and attention if summer is approaching and they have already begun exhibiting signs of warmth, such as saggy, wilted, or leggy growth, in order to protect them and keep them flourishing all summer long.
Provide partial shade
Four to six hours per day of direct sunlight are ideal for pansies’ growth. It is a plant that enjoys the sun. However, it is a wise choice to give them some shade during the summer and shield them from the heat.
The heat of the sun is most intense in the summertime in the late afternoon. Your pansies must be shielded from the sun.
Your pansies will become droopy and leggy in excessive heat and warm conditions. Heat can even kill a plant by scorching its leaves and flowers.
You can place some tall barriers, such as large potted plants or containers, on the west side of the soil bed to shield your pansies.
Your pansies will benefit from this shade from the sun’s sweltering afternoon rays. Another option is to cover a mesh wire cylinder with a piece of cloth to make a shade. Create a shade that is up to 12 inches long.
Deadheading
Some flowers may be harmed by exceptionally warm conditions and the sun’s heat. To promote new growth in your plant, you must get rid of those dead flowers.
You should check on your pansies every day. Any dead flowers that you spot in the plant must be pulled out.
Deadheading encourages pansies to produce more growth hormone, which promotes plant growth and new flower blooms.
It will help energy conservation to form seeds if you remove the dried and dead flowers. The plant will be better able to focus on developing a robust root system and more flowering.
Deadheading keeps your plant vibrant and wholesome. New roots and flowers are encouraged. Deadheading will also prevent leggy pansies on your plants.
Remove the Spent Flowers
You need to cut off the stem’s top section in addition to the flower head. This entails getting rid of all the flowers that are withering or will soon pass away.
If you continue to observe your pansies every day, you will be able to recognize such flowers. Once you know which spent flowers need to be disposed of, you can proceed.
Fingernails or your fingers can be used to pinch them off. If you’re going to use pruners, make your cut where the first leaf emerges from the stem.
Replant
Trimming the flowers can occasionally put your plant in danger because you run the risk of cutting them incorrectly, which would render the pansies dead.
Thus, it is preferable to cut them off the plant entirely, collect the healthy seeds, and set them aside for replanting rather than cutting them.
After the long summer is over, in the chilly months or the late winters, you can plant the pansies using those seeds. By the time spring arrives, the plant would have reached its full potential and the flowers would be in bloom.
Apply some amount of fertilizer
The summers are difficult for the pansies to survive because they cannot stand the heat. As a result, you must make sure that your pansies are getting enough nutrients so that they can stay healthy all summer.
Pansies grow best when they are fertilized as they are developing. To keep them growing well, it would be beneficial if you fertilized them as well during the summer.
During the summer, granular fertilizer is a good option for pansies. Around the plant, spread granular fertilizers on the soil’s surface, and give them lots of water.
Applying it to a plant or flower could burn the leaves or petals, so avoid doing so. For pansies, use a balanced fertilizer (10-10-10).
A high nitrogen content in fertilizers should be avoided. Pansies do not like a lot of nitrogen.
Additionally, fertilizing with a lot of nitrogen may speed up plant growth, leading to large, fast-growing leaves but no flowers. Pansies that grow too quickly may become leggy and begin to break from the middle and fall off.
The plant’s growth will be hampered if high nitrogen fertilizer is used. This is detrimental to pansies, which grow continuously after the summer.
Protect Pansies With Taller Plants
Protecting your pansies with taller plants is one of the best and easiest ways to keep them cool during the summer.
As I mentioned earlier, one way to protect your pansies from the sun’s excessive heat, especially during the afternoon, is to create artificial shade. However, it might not have as much of an impact as the natural shade.
You can plant pansies in your garden alongside other, taller plants. Your pansies will receive some natural shade from this.
In the summer, this shade shields the pansies from the sweltering heat of the afternoon sun. Furthermore, it won’t completely prevent the sun from shining on the pansies.
Watering
In the summer, when temperatures exceed the normal range, the soil rapidly loses moisture and dries out from the added warmth.
Your pansies may suffer if they are kept dry in these circumstances for an extended period of time. The roots and soil won’t provide the plants with enough moisture and nutrients.
Check the soil again. You will need to water them frequently to maintain the proper moisture levels that the plant needs to absorb the nutrients if the soil has become dry and hard as a result of the dry and hot weather.
Will Pansies Last All Summer: Conclusion
If you use these straightforward suggestions, extending the pansy’s blooming period will be fairly simple. You can take pleasure in these cheery flowers all summer long with a little work!
FAQs
Are Winter Pansies Different from Summer Pansies?
For a late-fall, winter, and spring bloom, winter pansies are best planted in the fall. The best time to plant summer pansies is in late spring when they will bloom from early to late summer. Summer pansies are heat-tolerant, whereas winter pansies are likely to fade when exposed to high temperatures.
How Long Will Pansies Last?
That means if you plant them in the autumn, pansies can last up to eight months, Colorful blooms are present for a large portion of September to April or May. The plants’ spring blooms can be even more abundant when they have been in the ground since fall, even though they are typically not particularly attractive in the dead of winter.
How Hot is Too Hot for Pansies?
Pansies experience considerable heat stress at average daily temperatures, or a 24-hour average temperature, above 80¡ F; however, pansies can continue to photosynthesize and grow at mid-day temperatures greater than 90¡ F.