Pansy

Where it grows

The modern pansy is a complex nineteenth-century hybrid (V. × wittrockiana) descended from several European Viola species, notably V. tricolor, V. lutea, and V. altaica. It thrives in cool weather (autumn, winter, and early spring) and bakes out in summer. In mild climates pansies bloom continuously from October through May.

How to recognise it

A low, branching plant fifteen to twenty centimetres tall with small heart-shaped scalloped leaves and large flat flowers four to ten centimetres across. The five petals are arranged in the characteristic pansy “face”: two pointing up, two horizontal, and one pointing down. Many cultivars carry dark central blotches that resemble human or animal faces.

Garden & cultural uses

Pansies and their smaller-flowered cousins, violas, are the bedding workhorses of cool-season gardens worldwide. They tolerate light frost and snow, returning to bloom each warm afternoon. The flowers are edible and crystallised as cake decorations or floated in summer drinks.

In language

The name comes from the French pensee, “thought” — the same root behind the English “pansy” — because the flower’s downturned face suggests contemplation. Shakespeare’s Ophelia says “And there is pansies, that’s for thoughts.”