Pansies are tender (and short lived) perennials. In warmer climates, they will bloom all fall, winter, and then really do grreeeaaattt in the spring. I doubt that your climate qualifies, unless you do some pretty serious protecting. They are quite hardy, but (probably) not that tough!

Which part of NY do you reside? Climate makes ALL the difference.

I am on Long Island. The past 3 years I planted pansies in the fall that said "guaranteed to bloom again in the spring." They did!! And beautifully!! I can't find pansies with that guarantee this year. Are all pansies the same? Perhaps it's still too early. The pansies worked out so much better than mums. Any help would be appreciated.

All of the Pansies at Lowe's here have the "guaranteed to bloom next spring" label on them. Have you checked there?

~ Jennifer

You have about the same average lowest temperature as I do, here in Northern Alabama. Pansies, virtually all kinds, do perfectly well here over the winter. If threatened by a severe freeze (below 20), I'd cover the plants. The tops may die back in such a case, but they are likely to come back from the root system. Get them established soon!

Pansies should be a great 3 season plant for you.

Sandy,

Any pansy that has a face should overwinter just fine, but you shoud have started them in July. I sowed mine in situ and they are blooming now.

Last year I bought some faceless pansies at the garden center at Halloween (for 25c each!) to see what they'd do and they overwintered, too. AND bloomed until the night temperatures hit 75 here. Now these were larger plants, so I'm not sure how seedlings will do, but next spring I could answer the question if you ask it again.

I never cover mine. They look beat up in winter, but they still have flowers. When warm weather hits starting late Feb., look out!

I think it may be too late, but try it with a package and maybe cover the babies when the first hard frost hits. If Long Island is like here, you could have over a month longer of fine pansy weather for them to grow.

HTH,
Lime

Thank you for the information! I think I'm too late and I'll have to look for started plants with faces. Does that mean the solid faced pansies are more delicate? I need 50 plants. Lowe's is selling the "guaranteed" spring bloom plants for $4 each. OUCH!!! Here's where I get compulsive. I'm now on a mission. I'll report back when I find plants at a reasonable price.

Our local Lowe's just started selling the flats today. There are 18 plants in a flat for about $10.

I have no idea if the pansies with faces are different in terms of hardiness than the faceless pansies, but the reason I made a point to differentiate is twofold.

One, I've never seen the "guaranteed to winter over" sign on faceless pansies.

Two, The catalogs separate them...some catalogs call the faceless pansies Violas, and the pansies with faces, well, they call them Pansies!

I wasn't sure if those two things meant anything or not.

It APPEARS to me that faceless pansies can take more HEAT than pansies with faces and grow longer into summer. Of course, that has nothing to do with your question! :))

Lime

Commonly, the smaller viola is called a johnny-jump-up or simply viola, while the larger one is called a pansy.
The larger ones, the pansies, come with "faces" or solid. The solid are much more dependable, bloom more profusely, and make stunning displays if massed either in containers or in the ground. In the North, it's better to have them in the ground if possible because they can better withstand the extreme cold.
The worst pansy is Majestic Giant. VERY susceptible to fungal disease which pockmarks the blooms.
Johnny-jump-ups are even more hardy than pansies, and can take more extremes of temperatures both ways. The ones with markings seem to be just as hardy as the solids. In the late spring, they will still be attractive when the pansies begin to decline from the warmer temperatures.

My in-laws live in Zone 3, with winter temperatures to -40c (which is also -40F) and their pansies come back in the spring.

would any one know If I can over winter a mature viola plant I have. I bought this plant down south and brought back up north with me. doing fine with lots of flowers. would It survive In a sunny window or should I plant In to the ground come fall?

I would get it in the ground, it will do fine, we have them all over the place here where temps dip way below zero. I just got some in a trade that looked a little worse for the wear by the time I got them in the ground, but they are all normal looking now and growing beautifully.

I think pansies re-seed rather than come back from the roots. I noticed this past spring mine were dead on the original plant so I cut it off, a few weeks later I saw a seedling, not knowing what it was I left it alone and it was a pansy. Maybe they do both huh?