Reader commented about the photo of pansies blooming in late summer. How do we get longer and more blooms from annuals? I’m just one with limitations of my experience. I’d like us to share how we get longer and more blooms in the season so we all benefit. (That’s what Plant Exchange is all about.) Comments welcome.
One of the drawbacks of growing pansies and violas in this region is that they die out quickly in summer. So I commonly cut them back in late spring and continue to water them in a full shade location. Not always, but sometimes, they come back in fall with a flush of growth and re-bloom.
Earlier this season I posted that some violas were outstanding in staying power through hotter and drier conditions. This season has been more temperate and has had more rain than most years.
First photo is from spring. Second photo is the re-bloom in August. Seeds were grown indoors to install more mature plants to show in their favorable spring weather. Good news for gardeners is that some seeds such as these with traits that tolerate our conditions are becoming available. Fensel’s tips to trim plants in timely manner 
before fall make sense.
