Anyone grow icicle panies/violas?

I love these flowers so i had to try a few pots on my stoop to see how they fair. Anyone have experience with them? Do they really bloom in the winter?


I really wanted the 'halloween mix' but they didnt have any of those:
http://www.iciclepansy.com/pcolors/photo/ssmix1pansy.jpg

So i got a bunch of others:

I think they bloom until the first frost.

They are very nice!

They are supposed to bloom until first frost, then 'take a nap' and then rebloom in late winter, early spring. Supposedly they will even bloom in snow!

So i was wondering if they worked for anyone else?

My parents just planted them this year as well Stef, so I can't tell you if they will re-bloom again in the snow, then early spring. My mom said they are 'supposed' to!

OMG Stef, these are amazing little flowers!

I got a flat of them last year and planted them in the fall. By Thanksgiving we had already gotten a little snow, but the little guys held out and flowered until they were completely buried by snow in December. Then all of a sudden by April, (yes it took that long for this particular mound of snow to melt!) when the snow fully melted one warm day, there were the pansies! Unreal, they HAD to be blooming under the snow. They are only supposed to last til late spring but some of my plants bloomed all summer.
I love them, they give you nice color when everything else goes away and are so hardy. So when I saw them this year in Walmart I picked up a flat. They also had them in Hom Depot.

Oh yea..im so excited!

I seem to kill any plant that isnt extremely hardy so hopefully these will work for me. And I love pansies to begin with.

I was just thinking... I put mine in the ground I don't know if that makes a difference or not. There's a chance the soil in your pots will freeze faster than the ground but I think thats about it.

Good luck! Happy Gardening!

After i had them planted in the pots, I saw on the website that it was not recommended for container gardens. Oh well.

I figure that if it can last in Maine and Canada, it should be able to last a NYC winter - even in a pot. Or at least taht is my hope.

Stef
Plant the entire pot in the ground or winterize them with a covering of about 6 inches of mulch (leaves will work fine). That should hold off the frost.

The reason why i didnt plant them in the dirt is b/c i dont have very much of it. If i put it where there is some, it will get no sunlight b/c of the trees.

I may get some moss and wrap that around the pots but i'll have to see how cold it gets.