Pansy is an annual or perennial grown for its blooms, which open from spring through fall and return year after year. It's hardy across USDA zones 6 through 10, shrugs off deer and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees.
Pansy — the short answer
Pansy: grown in zones 6–10, part sun, pH 5.4–6.5, about 70 days to maturity.
- USDA zones
- 6–10
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 5.4–6.5
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Sun
- Part Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Days to Maturity
- 70 days
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Frost-kill temperature
- 15°F
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
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What Pansy is
Pansy grows as an annual or perennial and reaches around 9 inches at maturity. It blooms from spring through fall. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
How to grow Pansy
Pansy grows in USDA zones 6 through 10. Pansy does best in part sun — at least 4 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.4 to 6.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 500 growing degree days to mature, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
6-10
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5.4 - 6.5
Growable Ground Plant Database
Sun
Part Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Kill Temperature
15°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
Growable Ground Plant Database
Days to Maturity
70 days
Growable Ground plant catalog
GDD Required
500+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
0.75 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
0+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant pansy in part sun with at least 4 hours of direct sun. It grows in the cool halves of the year, so sow it in spring or late summer rather than waiting for midsummer heat.
Match the soil
Pansy prefers pH 5.4 to 6.5 (Growable Ground Plant Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at its peak
Cut pansy blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Pansy thrives
Pansy is hardy across USDA zones 6 through 10. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 6–10 spans average winter lows from -10°F to 40°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 16 outright and splits 32 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 6–10·Where Pansy growsOpen map →
Where Pansy stands, state by state
Pansy is rated for zones 6–10 — a cold floor USDA puts at -10 to 0°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 16 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 32 more, and 3 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 6–10
16 states
- Arkansas · zones 6b-8b
- Connecticut · zones 6a-7b
- Kentucky · zones 6a-7b
3 of 16 shown
The line runs through
32 states
3 of 32 shown
Pansy’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 6–10
3 states
- Minnesota · zones 3a-5a
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
- South Dakota · zones 4a-5b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Pansy
Growing guides for pansy
In rotation planning, pansy counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Related plants in annual flower
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — pansy isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Pansy offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Your land is one point inside Pansy's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Pansy will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether pansy actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Pansy
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Pansy in my zone?
Pansy grows in USDA hardiness zones 6 through 10 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Pansy?
Pansy is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Pansy need?
Pansy does well in partial sun — around 4 hours of direct sun, and it takes some afternoon shade in stride. That flexibility makes it a good match for a bed the house or a nearby tree shades for part of the day. A Growable Ground report maps how the sun actually falls on your land, hour by hour, so you can set it where the light lines up.
What soil does Pansy need?
Pansy prefers soil pH 5.4 to 6.5, on well-drained ground (Growable Ground Plant Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Pansy attract pollinators?
Yes — pansy's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Is Pansy safe for pets?
Pansy is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)