Pansies & Violas ... Winter sow now, or sow in spring?

14 years ago

A newbie WS'er question about pansies and violas...

Do most people have best success winter sowing these in January or February, and if I WS them now, would they bloom in the spring? Or have you all had better success with spring sowing them outdoors in jugs for bloom in the fall? I noticed that pansies are listed on the FAQ pages as a candidate for spring sowing, but that Viola tricolor (pansy) is listed on the Hardy Annuals for WS FAQ page...

The seeds I have are:

Pansy Trimardeau Mix

Viola 'Helen Mount'

Thanks in advance!

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Comments (4)

aliska12000
14 years ago
I sowed some now and am holding some back, both pansies and violas. Only sowed one container of my pansies and all the violas I had on hand.

Since violas self seed and you can direct sow in the fall (doubt if you can do pansies), I figure WS isn't that much different.

But I found some more gotta haves last night so guess I'll be ordering a few more.

I'm trying a little of most I have even if they aren't on the FAQ, won't know without trying. Others have had success with all kinds of plants you might not expect.

We shall see.
Ann
14 years ago
I've had great luck Wsing my pansies and Yes they do bloom. Since last year was cooler, mine bloomed well into the summer here. I usually have great germination with them and they will surprise you with how fast they grow! Happy WSing! Ann
topie
Original Author
14 years ago
OK, thanks, I think I'll give it a whirl then and WS them. Never have grown them from seed before so I wasn't sure what to do. Kmpsmom, our weather here in Zone 6B tends to be sort of similar to Zone 7, so that's great to know you had success with WS'ing them. We had a cool spring and summer here in PA too because of all that rain.
Aliska12000, I think I'll hold a few pansy seeds back too, that's a good idea. Maybe I'll sow them in containers in the spring just to see how those work.

Thanks again for your follow up posts! Now I just need to get more seed starting mix...
floodthelast
14 years ago
By fall I had the tiniest volunteer sprouts in with my winter sown pansies and violas. I found that they winter sow the same and last a really long time with a little attention, shade and decent water. The greatest part for me is collecting seed and watching the mixes that open up the next time around. I do winter sow my pansies and violas early when it's really cold. They bloomed in the spring for me mostly.