The bright, flat ‘faces’ of garden pansies always seem to have a cheery, even cheeky, appearance. Many kinds have a dark spot at the centre that emphasises the ‘face’ of the flower.

Strains that manage to flower in winter have been bred in recent decades, extending the flowering season of pansies. The same plants will not flower year-round, but different kinds carry through summer as well as spring and winter.

The ability to flower even on dull winter days highlights the cheeriness of the pansy flowers and recommends them for use to brighten containers and the edge of flower beds during the dark months of the year. It seems incongruous that such large flowers manage to survive the winter weather.

But even the winter pansies take time out during the worst weather. Their flowering is tied very much to mild spells. When the temperature drops for a couple of weeks, few, if any, flowers are produced and those that are open suffer some damage. But when a mild spell comes along a few new flowers open.

For best results, choose large, well-grown plants — these will usually be grown in individual pots. These plants will open flowers from existing buds during winter growing conditions; small plants will not be able to make much growth or new buds and will open few flowers.

The conditions into which they are planted will have a big influence on performance. If they are grown in containers, the compost is likely to be warmer than the open soil. Free-draining compost is likely to be warmer than heavy wet compost and more flowers will appear. Check for the presence of greenflies.