Gardener's Yards All About Gardening Table of Contents
Pansies are beautiful and popular flat-faced flowers that usually appear in spring and fall seasons.
This is because they thrive in cold weather. In hot summer, Pansies lose their vigor and may even die.
That’s why knowing what to do with your pansies during summer is very vital.
Before you decide what to do with your pansies in the summer, it is vital to know which variety of pansies you have.
Not all pansies will do great in any climate. Depending on your climate, the best pansies to grow may be annuals, biennials, or perennials.
Biennial pansies find it difficult to flourish in harsh winters and hot summers.
Perennial pansies do well in warm climates, while annual pansies grow and die off at the end of the season. This might seem confusing as there are no annual, biennial, or perennial pansies.
This is because they are named after the regions where they are grown.
Pansies are cool weather plants that can be grown in warmer and moderate climates. Most gardeners grow them during the cooler months, such as in early spring, late winter, or sometimes in fall.
If your Pansy flowers have started showing signs of wilting and sagging, there are many things that you can do with them.
Continue reading to find out what to do with your pansies in the summer season.
1. Provide Partial Shade
The best way to protect your pansies from the heat of summer is by giving them partial shade. Even though pansies grow well in full sunlight, they need a break from the hot afternoon sun.
Additionally, when the temperatures are very hot during summer, the plant may wilt and even die if not protected.
You can create shade for your pansy by making a shade cloth over a cylinder of mesh wire.
Since pansy grows within a range of 6 to 9 inches, make sure the shade is around 12-inches. The biggest part of the shade should protect the plant from the afternoon sunlight.
You can also use pieces of plywood to protect the plant from the harsh sunlight.
2. Remove Dead Flowers
If the flowers on your pansy plant are starting to dry, you can decide to get rid of the ugly flowers and prepare the plant to bloom when the temperatures cool off once again.
This is also known as deadheading. Cutting off the dead or dried flowers will also help your pansies to conserve energy and form seeds. This is because the focus will be no longer on developing flowers but on the seeds.
This may seem like a chore, but once the hot weather is over, your pansies will again come back to life with their colorful and bright flowers.
Also, this means that the pansies will continue to bloom throughout the growing season.
3. Fertilize Lightly
Since your plant is going into dormancy, it is only right to ensure that it has the right nutrients to keep it alive during this period.
Pansies are fertilized at the time of growth, but you should also fertilize them in the scorching sun during summer.
Add granular fertilizer and water it into the soil. Besides, you can utilize an all-purpose fertilizer.
However, you should stay away from nitrogen-heavy fertilizer. This is because it can lead to the growth of more foliage instead of flowers.
This may also put a strain on the plant, which is not good for continued growth after the summer season.
4. Transfer Them To Pots
If the summer season in your area is extremely hot, you can as well as dig them up from the soil and plant them in pots.
Afterward, put the potted pansies in a cool place where they won’t dry up until summer is over.
The pot or container where you put the pansies should be 12-inches or less in diameter. Water the pansy in the pot and feed it a little fertilizer.
When the weather starts to cool, replant the pansies in your garden.
5. Get Rid Of Them And Replant Later
Another method that gardeners use to keep the pansies alive is by cutting them until they are no longer attractive.
However, this is not a sure method as the pansy might fail to come back to life when cut. Instead of cutting them, you can get rid of the plant altogether after cutting the dried flowers and collecting seeds.
After the harsh summer, you can start to grow pansy seeds in the late winter. This is means that you will enjoy the face-like petals in early spring and summer.
For potted plants, it easier to transfer them from the pot back to the garden. All you need is to ensure that the soil is okay and it is fertilized.
6. Grow Them With A Taller Annual Companion Plant
This is one of the simplest ways of protecting your pansies in the summer.
As discussed, people usually decide to create an artificial shade for their pansy flowers. The artificial shade is fine, but it may not have the same impact as a natural shade.
Grow your pansies with companion plants that are taller. If you do this, the pansies will receive shade from their taller companion plants.
As a result, they will be protected from the scorching sun.
To prolong their lifespan, make sure that the companion plants are taller and provide excellent shade, more so from the afternoon sunlight.
Summary
At the moment, no pansy flower is heat-resistant. As a result, you will have to decide what to do with your pansy flower every summer.
And for those who select more heat-tolerant pansies, you will have to ensure the temperatures of your area don’t go over 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
The best way to handle pansies in extreme heat and humid conditions is to provide them with shade, fertilizer, transfer them to pots, dig them up and replant later, or get rid of dead flowers.
During dormancy, make sure that the plants get water until the hot season is over.
With these tips, you can ensure that your plant is saved during the hot season and blooms again in fall as temperatures cool down.
