ABOUT THE FLOWERS
The next step is to select what type of flowers would best work in your beds. Pansies and violas are the most common flowers planted in the fall. Both are annual flowers in Atlanta, meaning that they will only last part of the year and will need to be removed from the beds in the spring and replaced with summer annuals. It is best to plant pansies and violas between mid-October and mid-November in order to give the plants time to root in before soil temperatures drop below 45 degrees. Both types of flowers require some dead-heading (removing spent blooms) throughout the growing season, although violas tend to require less dead-heading than pansies.
Pansies
Pansies have a large, bright flower and generally perform best in bright areas with 6+ hours of sun per day. Pansies have a more upright growth habit and grow to between 6”-8” tall.
Violas
Violas have a smaller flower but more flowers per plant helping to create a carpet of color. Violas are more shade tolerant than pansies but still like at least 5 hours of sun per day.