Plant them from mid September into October, depending on where you live in Alabama, for blooms that last until hot weather starts in April. Even though plants are available for sale in packs earlier in garden centers and mass-market outlets, planting when it is too hot can cause problems for the plants. Pansies can survive temperatures as low as 2 F in the winter. A big plus with the pansy is the variety of colors. There are solid colored pansies and pansies with faces.
Pansies also come in a variety of sizes.
Generally, pansies with smaller flowers tolerate heat and adverse growing conditions better than the large flowered types. Some pansies that grow well in Alabama include the Springtime Yellow Blotch, Universal Plus Yellow Blotch, Happy White Face, and Imperial Pink Shades. Pansies love to grow in full sun, but they also will grow and flower in part shade better than other annuals. In most cases, pansies perform much better in the landscape if you do a good job of preparing the soil. Choose a location with well-drained soil.