Extension

Courtney DeKalb-Myers, Assistant Extension Specialist in Consumer Horticulture

As temperatures begin to cool, the selection of bedding plants at garden centers begins to narrow. Mums, ornamental cabbage and kale, snapdragons, and other cool-season annuals begin to take over the benches. One bedding plant, however, is almost impossible to miss: pansies. Love them or hate them, pansies earn their place in the fall landscape. They tolerate Oklahoma’s cool weather remarkably well and are available in a wide range of colors.

It’s important to select high-quality pansy plants from the start. Overgrown, leggy pansies are more likely to flop over and struggle to stay upright. Plants with poorly developed root systems may struggle to establish after transplanting. A healthy, well-established pansy can provide color through much of the cool season and put on another strong flush of growth and flowering as temperatures moderate in spring. Here are a few tips for picking out the perfect pansy.

1. Start with healthy, pest- and disease-free plants. Flowers should look fresh rather than faded, damaged, or declining. A few unopened buds are a bonus, providing flowers that will open after planting. Foliage should be healthy and green, without extensive yellowing, spotting, or dead tissue. Extensive yellowing, particularly on lower leaves, can be a sign that plants have been stressed.
2. Plants should be compact, with short internodes. Pansies that have become stretched or leggy before purchase are more likely to flop after planting. Choose plants with dense, compact growth and short spaces between leaves rather than long, stretched stems.
3. The root ball should be developed, but not root-bound. When purchasing pansies, gently slide the root ball out of the container. If there are very few roots and the potting media falls apart immediately, the root system may not be developed enough for easy transplanting. On the other hand, avoid plants with a dense mass of tightly circling roots. Severely root-bound plants can be slower to establish once transplanted.

Selecting quality pansies at the nursery is an important first step toward quick establishment and gives plants the best chance to provide color throughout the cool season.

Figure 1. Picking out healthy pansies at the garden center gives the best chance for color throughout the cool season. (Credit: Courtney DeKalb-Myers)