How to Care for Pansies and Echinacea

Include cheerful pansies in your garden plan.

Belonging to the viola family, pansies (Viola x wittrockiana) are perennials that grow 6 to 8 inches tall and 10 to 12 inches wide, and feature distinctive monkey-face-like markings on their blooms. Echinacea, or coneflowers, are no-fuss perennials that grow 48 inches tall and produce daisy-like blooms in a variety of colors. Pansies liven up the landscape in the cooler climates of spring and fall, while varieties of Echinacea bloom from midsummer through frost. Include both types of flowers in your garden to liven up the space with natural color, beauty and fragrance.

Things You'll Need

• Soaker hose
• Organic mulch
• 10-10-10 fertilizer
• Pruning scissors
• 12-6-6 fertilizer

Instructions

Pansy Care

1. Plant pansies in well-draining soil exposed to full sunlight every day. Space multiple plants 4 to 6 inches apart.

2. Provide pansies 1 inch of water every week. Use a soaker hose to irrigate the plant at soil level and reduce chances of fungal diseases. Do not water pansies during late afternoon or early evening. Increase the frequency of irrigation during periods of prolonged drought.

3. Spread 2 inches of organic mulch around the base of each pansy plant to retain soil moisture and keep roots cool. Mulching also prevents competing weeds from growing nearby, reducing competition for soil moisture and nutrients.

4. Feed pansies 1 tsp. of a well-balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer per square-foot area seven to 10 days after planting in fall, and again in mid spring. Increase the frequency of the fertilizer to every three weeks during the growing season.

5. Prune the plant to maintain appearance and invigorate growth. Clip off spent blooms to prolong flowering. Clip off leggy stems to encourage the plant to produce low-growing branches.

Echinacea Care

1. Plant Echinacea in well-draining soil with full sunlight to partial shade exposure during spring or fall. Space multiple plants 12 to 36 inches apart.

2. Provide the plants 1 inch of water every week during the summer, unless provided by rainfall. Spread 2 inches of organic mulch around the base of each plant to retain soil moisture and deter weeds.

3. Feed the plants a slow-release fertilizer in March or April. Spread 1 lb. of 12-6-6 fertilizer granules around the base of the plant and irrigate deeply afterwards.

4. Pinch spent blooms to prolong flowering. However, leave flowers that appear late in the season so they develop seed heads that attract birds to the site.

5. Divide coneflowers every three to four years. Dig out the plant from the soil and divide it into smaller sections, each comprising roots and growing stems. Plant each section along your garden or yard.

Tips & Warnings

• Amend the selected planting site with 2 inches of organic matter months in advance, prior to planting pansies or Echinacea.

• Grow pansies in window boxes, planters, in masses or along edges to add vibrant bursts of attractive color to the space. Because Echinacea plants are tall, grow the perennials at the back of garden beds or planters, with shorter plants in front.

References

• West Virginia University Extension Service; Pansies; John W. Jett
• University of Nebraska at Lincoln: Pansies and Violas Offer Great Color for Spring or Fall
• Clemson Cooperative Extension; Pansies and Johnny-Jump-Ups; Karen Russ, et al.
• Clemson Cooperative Extension; Echinacea; Millie Davenport
• The Telegraph: How to Grow: Echinacea
• National Gardening Association: Coneflower