Pansy & Viola
Viola × wittrockiana
Family Violaceae
Pansies planted in fall bloom under snow crusts and own March outright — the only flower working both sides of winter. The velvet faces are edible too, candied onto cakes or scattered over salads, and the smaller violas outbloom the big ones at everything but size.
Six to ten inches of cool-season color for porch pots, beds, and window boxes, happy in sun or part shade and visited by early bees when little else offers. The trick the garden centers undersell: buy in September, not April. Pot some this fall and greet spring early.
Full Sun to Part Shade in cool seasons
Moderate water
Moderate growth
Attracts bees
From the print shop
Growing pansy & viola? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries pansy & viola — Viola wittrockiana, print Nº 344, “Pansy & Viola.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what pansy & viola actually needs.
Life cycleBiennial, grown as an annualPansy & Viola · Common problems
Common pansy & viola problems
Pests
2 problems on file
Diseases
3 problems on file
- Downy Mildew
- Crown Rot in soggy beds
- Edema
Pansy & Viola · Growing & propagation
Growing pansy & viola
- Light
- Full Sun to Part Shade in cool seasons
- Water
- Moderate
Soil- Rich, cool, moist · pH 5.4 - 6.2
Fertilizer- Every 3-4 weeks in season
Pruning- None
Deadhead; shear leggy plants halfway in March for the spring surge.
Spacing- 6-8 in
Pansy & Viola · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Pansy & Viola · Yearly calendar
The pansy & viola year, month by month
Jan
BloomSeptember to July
BloomBloomSeptember to July
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Pansy & Viola · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Viola × wittrockiana
Pansy & Viola in the garden system
- Herbaceous layer annual
Attracts- Bees
- Moisture
- Facultative / average
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
Origin- Introduced
What pansy & viola is grown for
✓ Commonly eatenedible flowers
Use- Fall-to-spring color
- Use
- Cake decorating
- Use
- Porch pots
Harvesting & storing pansy & viola
Edible flowers.
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Pansy & Viola · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a pansy & viola variety
'Matrix' (big pansies); 'Sorbet' violas (tougher, more blooms); 'Cool Wave' (trailing)
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.
Pansy & Viola
Viola × wittrockiana
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Viola × wittrockiana
- Plant family
- Violaceae
- Growth habit
- Annual · Biennial
- Origin
- Introduced
- USDA plant symbol
- VIWI
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
Where to buy
Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.
Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.
Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.
Questions
Pansy & Viola questions, answered straight.
Is pansy & viola safe for kids and pets?
Pansy & Viola is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. One caveat on this one: edible flowers. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.
When do you harvest pansy & viola?
Edible flowers.
Elsewhere
Where pansy & viola sits in the library.
Sunflower
Zinnia
Peony
Daylily