Once again, we have survived the oppressive heat of the West Texas summer and now the fall season throws open its arms to us with cozy rain, romantic ambiance, and crisp, cool air. We love the fall season here at Pete’s because the colors change from cool, vibrant tones to warm, autumnal hues and the store fills with scents of pumpkin, apple, and seasonal spices! But one of our very favorite Pete’s traditions started years ago when Darren and his mother planted a multi-seeded plug into the super jumbo packs of pansies. They were an instant hit, and we are bringing them back once again this year!

If you’re hoping for a specific color, look no further! We are offering 19 colors for you to choose from. For a specific color make sure you come into the store to pre-book, because they go very quickly. We are nearly sold out of our first crop, but you will have 3 more crops to choose from so come on in to claim yours! We planted over 18,000 pansies this year, and we will even come to your house and plant them for you, so why not stop by the greenhouse and let us do what we can to get you set up for fall?

Want to know why the pansy is Lynn’s favorite annual out of all the plants we offer at Pete’s? She says it’s because a pansy will give you 9 months if you plant them at the end of September into early October. 9 months!! Once you do that, they will last until June or July of next year. They will be truly gorgeous in February-March.

Of course, the key to getting the most longevity out of your pansies is with the proper care. The best looking pansies look great in the spring because they were planted in the fall, giving them plenty of time to root in and get well established. This process includes a great quality pansy food. Here at Pete’s we offer an excellent product called Pansy Max. This is the best type of food for your pansies because when it starts getting cold, Pansy Max activates the soil. When the temperature drops, the extra nitrogen in the pansy food keeps your pansies warm. So if we’re expecting an overnight freeze, go ahead and water your pansies and make sure they have Pansy Max food which will keep them insulated during that freeze. Otherwise, you’ll want to fertilize them every 30 days throughout the winter.

Here are 5 tips for planting your pansies:

1. 65 degrees average temperature is an optimum time to plant pansies, which means right now is an excellent time to start picking out which pansies you want to plant by the end of September! Planting them now will get you the most bloom time out of your pansies. 
2. Take the pansy out of the pot it came in and loosen up the roots. This will create stimulation in the plant itself and speeds up its growth. Plug them into the dirt and give them a slight pinch to essentially tuck them in. 
3. When you’re watering pansies, let them dry between waterings because if they’re too wet they will start looking limp and weak. 
4. Remember that heat makes pansies leggy, so you’ll want to pinch off that leggy growth and deadhead. Deadheading (cutting dead flowers off a healthy plant) is a good idea with pansies anyway because it promotes new growth and will improve the quality of your crop each time it blooms.
5. Pansies are not fussy plants at all (good news for beginner gardeners!), but they will grow best in loose, rich soil with a slightly acid pH (6.0 to 6.2). They don’t like soggy roots, so if you plant them in containers make sure to use a relatively loose, well-draining potting mix and a container with good drainage. 

Here at Pete’s, we are extremely proud of our growhouse and what we’re able to grow from seed for our loyal customers. We hope that you’ll take advantage of this year’s pansy crop because it’s going to be absolutely beautiful! And since, with the proper care, you can get 9 whole months out of these pretty little plants, why not take advantage of having something colorful to look at during our cold winter months? Pansies are just one of the many reasons why fall at Pete’s is such a special time. We can’t wait to see you at the greenhouse!