Winter Pansies - am i too late?

Hi!
I believe I may have accidentally left it a tad too late to sow my winter pansy seeds this year? Am I right?

I have a feeling i'll be popping to a local GC and getting some established plants at this rate...

 

I think it is too late and they aren't expensive to buy in garden centres and supermarkets. When I tried growing them a few years ago I had bad luck with germination so now I always buy trays of young plants.

 

I sowed mine about a month ago and have now pricked them out. They are about 1in high now. I used seed I had collected myself and germination was good. They don't like it too hot to germinate in my experience. So sowing them now they would germinate OK, but with cooler weather soon they may be a bit slow to get going to be good sized plants for planting out.

 

I bought some Pansies, as I absolutely love them, not all the plants have flowers on them, is it too early to plant them out, will they grow flowers in winter?

 

Depending upon the source. Likely they have been confined to a greenhouse prior to sale. Their general appearance may give a clue.
Would be a good chance to test your 'after prick-out' facility previously discussed. Would pot them up if not already, place in the growing on area, remembering to space out as they grow. Protect from draughts, slugs and aphids. Water only moderately. If the forthcoming milder spell persists, then consider planting out in sheltered conditions.

 

Would you say Pansies and more hardy than Violas?

 

Don't know which is more hardy but I've always found that violas flower better than pansies

 

I bought pansies and violas from a garden centre a few days ago. They are outside the kitchen door hardening off and I'll plant them in the next few days as the weather should get a bit warmer - for my benefit as well as theirs. I think they are hardier than me!

I agree about violas being more floriferous than pansies.

 

Both pansies and violas flower better if you deadhead them regularly, easily done by hand. Elevating the pots can also help to keep root eating pests away.

 

Because Pansies give bigger flowers, do you think these look better in a hanging basket. So therefore I am also saying that Violas look better in a pot?

 

I would still go for violas as a first choice. Pansies have tended to be disappointing IME.

 

Try both and see what you think. I grow both, chosen for the colour combinations and how well they go with other plants in the container. Hanging baskets tend to dry out too often and are hard work in my experience, unless you get a deep one, line it and don’t overplant it.