Growing Pansies from seed and when they flower

I'm thinking of growing some pansies from seed, sowing them indoors mid to late Summer then planting out in the Autumn.

My query is about flowering - will most pansies flower within two to three months of planting? I ask because some online sites state that they only flower in their second year. Or does that only apply to some varieties?

 

I planted seeds around September and they didn't really flower until spring.

 

Are you referring to winter flowering Pansies @TheMadHedger ?

 

Yup, that's the ones. I've just in fact bought some, the packet says to plant in June onwards (indoors) so I hope that they will flower in Autumn.

 

Pansies should flower the same year if they are grown at the time the packet states. Start them off indoors and when they've been potted on put them outside to harden off before planting out. A word of warning, if you buy mixed colour seed they are only likely to be one or two colours, mostly blue or yellow. I grew 170 plants for last winter and they were a big disappointment. In future I will buy individual packets that each contain one colour.

 

I bought 300 mixed plugs there just starting to flower, i have a fair few yellow in places i need to move a few around, i like this one.

 

I have a few like that, really nice colours.

Unfortunately my local slug population also likes them but for different reasons ....... they do seem to have a taste for Pansies (but on the whole that at least largely stops them eating my Cosmos and Nasturtium seedlings and Buddleia cuttings ).

 

I love pansies in my spring baskets and containers . Never manged to grow them from seed for some reason .

 

I've just planted some in seed trays just to see how well I can grow them (it's a tad early but I'll be planting them out late summer in theory).

 

Sowed some I gathered from last years plants. Lst time I looked some had germinated.

 

Did they take long to germinate outside?

 

They took about ten days. There were some cloudy cool days and they were in a ropey plastic unheated cold frame.

 

Sounds good, they need to be at about 15C to 20C to germinate (well, that's according to my seed packet).

After about 3 days (indoors in a cool, light room) mine germinated and started to put down roots. No cotyledons showing yet as they are still inside the seed pods. Might see some action there soon.

 

So I just spent too long pricking the pansy seedlings out,boring job but ive got 250 of them . Sorted for a while then.

 

Cor, that's a lot of seedlings! I'm tempted to have a go at some winter pansies too. Can you recommend a good variety?