The pansy is a hybrid originally developed in Europe. Although it is technically a perennial, it only grows well from seed the first year and after than it deteriorates quickly. They are usually grown as annuals or biennials. Pansies and violas are from the same family and are grown the same way. Pansies generally grow about 8 inches tall with delicate 2 to 3 inch flowers of five overlapping petals in every color and marking imaginable.
Violas have smaller flowers but they generally bloom longer than pansies.
In areas where the minimum winter temperature is 20 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, such as the southern United States, pansies and violas can be grown as a winter plant. Planted in the fall, they can survive the freezes and snowfalls of the southern winter quite well. In the more northern climates they can be grown in the spring. What they do not tolerate well is hot weather. Because they are low growing plants, they make excellent borders and edging which are filled with brilliant color.