Pansies (Viola x wittrockiana) such as the Rose Wing variety shown above are one of the toughest short-lived plants.
Pansies love the cool weather of spring and fall; they suffer and die during the heat and humidity of central Ohio summers.
Pansy flower petals are arranged with two somewhat overlapping upper petals, two sides and a single lower petal. The flowers range from 1 1/2 to 3 inches and come in a wide variety of colors: apricot, blue, purple, rose, white, yellow and bicolor.
Some pansies have a face or a dark blotch; others have no color variation and are called clear. The flowers provide spring hues in containers and splashes of color in garden borders.
A full palette of pansies can be seen growing in the Scotts Miracle-Gro Community Garden Campus, in the entry plaza or in the planters on the Grove at the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.
Height: 6 to 9 inches
Spread: 9 to 12 inches
Hardiness: Zones 5-10
— Barbara Arnold, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens