As summer comes to a close, pansies add bright, bold color to your patio, porch or front entry in North Texas. These popular cool-season perennial flowers are known and loved for their blooms of every color, their delicate appearance, and hardy nature to withstand the cold weather of winter. With the right kinds of pansies and proper care, you can enjoy beautiful winter container gardens all across the Metroplex, including Fort Worth, Euless, Benbrook, and all the cities of the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
From large and showy to small and delicate, pansies come in a variety of colors and types. Below are some of the best pansy types for winter containers, along with tips for growing them in North Texas and creating beautiful winter containers.
Why Pansies Are Perfect for North Texas Winters
In North Texas, the winter weather can change in an instant. Temperatures can be nice during the day and drop sharply at night. Many flowers can’t handle the cold. The pansy is a cool-season plant that will come back after many cold nights as long as it is healthy and established.
They are great for adding a splash of color to containers placed on patios, porches, decks and even on entryways. Since they grow close to the ground, pansies are perfect for containers that are placed near the ground, such as in a window box. Large pansies can even be used as a single focal point in a large container and make a great addition to a winter flower arrangement.
Pansies are commonly found in sunny locations with well-draining soil. However, they can also thrive in patio pots and other containers as long as the potting mix drains well to prevent root rot in the cold weather. With proper care, pansies will continue to produce flowers throughout the fall, winter, and into the early part of spring.
Best Pansy Varieties for Winter Containers
Matrix Pansies: Large Blooms and Bold Color
These cool-weather lovers are great for larger pots and flower containers where you wish to fill the space with flowers. They come in a wide variety of colors, including solid hues and those with darker markings in the center of the flowers. With large blooms and a bushy habit, Matrix Pansies are great for spring and summer container gardens too!
These colors and flower types are available in the Matrix brand of pansies. Large solid colored flowers or varieties with contrasting centers in colors of yellow, purple, blue, red and white are popular and grow well in winter containers.
Matrix Clear Series: Classic Solid-Color Displays
A simpler choice for an easy to blend into a formal container design would be the new for this season, Matrix Clear Series. The new Matrix Clear Pansies are selected for their solid, clear flower colors with no blotch in the center of the petals.
Single-colored pansies such as white or Purple look beautiful in formal planted containers and can add a pleasant splash of color to shady spots in the garden. Large yellow Violas are so bright that they can be seen from afar and add a cheery note to winter displays.
Plant single-color pansies in individual pots and create a path of them on your porch or patio. A white-and-purple pansy combination is a classic, traditional winter palette and works well in formal planters.
Matrix Blotch Series: Flowers With Distinctive Faces
The Matrix Blotch Pansy will provide a more traditional face-type pansy flower. The contrasting markings in the center of the flower will provide visual interest in the winter months. Purple-and-yellow, blue-and-white, and red-and-yellow are a few of the unique blotch combinations available.
Many varieties of pansies offer different color combinations, including purple and yellow, blue and white, red and yellow. They add visual interest to your winter containers and create a pretty, distinctive seasonal garden.
To create a variety of flower faces in your patio container, choose several different blotch varieties. For a simple yet colorful planter, repeat two different flower colors throughout the arrangement.
Be sure to check out the different colors of Clear and Blotch Pansies that are available at your local nursery, as they can vary from season to season. These two types of pansies give you plenty of options for your winter containers.
Mixed-Color Pansies: Easy, Cheerful Arrangements
If you don’t want to think too much about choosing the right colors for your pansy container, then you can’t go wrong with choosing a mix of colors. Many varieties of pansies come in mixed colors, such as purple, yellow, blue, white, and others, to create a cheerful display of color for your home.
Mixed color containers with purple and yellow pansies and fall containers with purple and yellow pansies and seasonal pumpkins and nature elements are two of the most popular types of outdoor fall decorations. Pansies in white, lavender and pale yellow create a softer, pastel hued container garden.
The mixed-color container is especially beautiful on patios and porches and creates an informal yet very welcoming setting for your home.
How to Design a Beautiful Winter Pansy Container
Start with a container, then choose the gardening supplies you need to fill it with plants and add a few decorative touches.
Make sure your pot or container has drainage holes. Even though pansies need moisture, their roots will rot in saturated soil and must be able to dry slightly between waterings.
Use a high-quality potting mix, preferably one designed for containers. This type of potting mix is formulated to drain excess water well, as opposed to garden soil which can become too compact in pots and not provide the adequate drainage that roots need.
Space the Pansies so there is enough room for each to grow, typically as specified by the particular variety of Pansy you have purchased for the garden.
Choose one or two colors to produce a more refined look or mix many different colors for a very colorful arrangement.Add contrasting foliage such as ornamental cabbage and/or kale to add texture and another cool-season color to your Pansies. Remember that your new add-ins will need the same amount of sunlight and water as your Pansies.
When to Plant Pansies in North Texas
For planting pansies in North Texas, fall is typically the best time. October and November are usually the best months, as the summer heat starts to dissipate and pansies can establish roots before cold weather sets in. As with anything, though, exact timing depends on the weather in a given year.
The ideal time for planting Pansies in North Texas is in the Fall after the heat of summer has begun to moderate. However, plants should be kept out of excessively hot weather to prevent damage to newly planted plants.
Pansies can tolerate cold temperatures. In containers, however, plants will need extra protection during extremely cold weather. Because the roots of container grown plants are on the sides and bottom of the pot, they are exposed to cold air. Move containerized pansies to a protected area or use proper frost protection during an unusual hard freeze.
Caring for Pansies Throughout Winter
The following few suggestions are used to maintain winter containers in good health.
- Sunlight: Select a location that has lots of sunlight throughout the day. The most flower production will occur in sunny conditions.
- Continue to Water the Container Garden: Note that containers require more frequent watering than ground-based plantings in part because they require more moisture. Check the potting mix regularly for drying and water as necessary. Note that watering will need to reflect the amount of sun, wind and cold weather that the container has been subjected to.
- Avoid soggy soil: Make sure that the drainage holes are not clogged and that the water is not collecting in the saucer under the pot.
- Pinch off spent flowers: Removing old flowers from your pansies will keep your winter blooms looking their best and encourage your pansies to continue producing more flowers.
- Fertilize appropriately: Use an annual flower fertilizer and follow the instructions for application.
- Watch for Extremely Cold Weather: While most pansies can recover from normal winter freezes, protect your newly planted patio pots and large containers from extreme, prolonged cold and very windy days.
As the weather warms in late winter/early spring, enjoy the colors your Pansies are producing, then pull them and replace them with warm-season annuals. They will not produce as many flowers as the weather warms up.
Find Winter Pansies in Fort Worth and the DFW Area
Pansies are one of many seasonal flowers available at Premier Nursery. We also offer a wide selection of flowers beyond pansies. Our knowledgeable staff can recommend the best options for your outdoor space. They can also advise you on caring for your newly purchased plants and help you plant them on your Fort Worth front porch, Benbrook patio, or Euless container.
For the best selection of pansy varieties for your winter containers and other gardening needs, come visit us at Premier Nursery. Current varieties of winter pansies include Matrix Clear and Matrix Blotch varieties, while in stock.
