Can Pansies Survive Frost?

Pansies are great flowers to have in your garden. They are popular due to the variety of hues that are offered; just one of these flowers can contribute many distinct tones to your landscape, and the overlapping petals give the arrangement some lovely depth. When you want to add some color and aren’t quite sure where to turn, pansies are always a nice pick. 

If you are thinking about using pansies in your Jackson, WY garden, or if you already have some and are considering what to do about the approaching winter, this article should be of assistance. We’ll discuss whether pansies can survive frost and how you can plan for the cold months to come. If you need assistance with your gardening or general landscaping efforts here in the Jackson area, please reach out to TLC directly and we’ll be happy to serve you. 

Can Pansies Survive the Frost This Winter?

For those who live around the Jackson area and love the look of pansies in a garden, we have good news – these are hardy flowers that can handle frosty conditions. Compared to many other flowers, pansies perform well when the temperatures drop, making them a popular choice as fall moves in and the overnight conditions grow cold. It tends to be the extreme temperatures that pansies don’t like, meaning they don’t do well when it gets particularly cold or hot. 

Pansies do pretty well in cold conditions on their own, but you can give them a bit of help by adding a layer of mulch to the area of the bed when your pansies are planted. By adding some mulch over the top of the soil, you’ll add insulation and help prevent the roots from freezing. There are plenty of other benefits that come along with mulching, of course, so make sure this task is at the top of your to-do list when colder conditions become commonplace. 

Are Pansies the Only Annual that Survives Frost?

While pansies are a popular pick for colder conditions–thanks to their ability to handle frost as an annual–they are not alone. If frost resistance is near the top of your priority list, look also toward snapdragons, viola, petunia, and dianthus. 

Knowing there are some options for great annuals that can handle frost, you can carefully plan out your garden to look nice all year. By mixing and matching plants with various characteristics (in terms of weather tolerance), you can ride out the changes in conditions until the deepest of the winter arrives. So, some plants that do well in the warm summer weather can balance out your garden with flowers like pansies that prefer mild, and even cool, conditions. 

Should Annuals Be Covered in the Cold?

For some plants, it’s a good course of action to cover them up when the temperatures are forecast to dip under the freezing mark. By laying something across the top of the plants – such as a sheet or even some light cardboard – it’s possible to keep the frost from landing on the leaves and branches, and the plant can be protected as a result. It might be the case that some of the plants in your Jackson, WY landscape could benefit from this treatment in the cold. 

With that said, this step is typically unnecessary with pansies. As we’ve mentioned above, pansies can handle frost successfully, so you don’t need to cover them. If anything, the layer of mulch we also discussed earlier will help the roots to stay warm, and hopefully the plant will continue to thrive as a result. Consider making a list of which of your plants can benefit from covering, and which don’t need it, so you can easily complete the task whenever it’s necessary. 

Make a Gardening Plan

The ability of pansies to deal with a frost successfully is one of many attributes that makes them attractive to gardeners in Jackson. If you don’t already have some pansies in place, don’t hesitate to add them to a spot on your property that could use a reliable, colorful plant. Of course, if you want help with gardening or landscaping design, get in touch with TLC right away.