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Q: What is the difference between summer, winter (spring?) pansies?

A: Winter pansies used to be a strain called Great Universal - these were said to be slightly hardier than other varieties. It has been discovered, however, that the little viola types are a bit hardier and more likely to flower in(to) winter. The truth is, in the dark days of winter with cold temperatures they all stop flowering and start again in spring. By the end of spring they're usually leggy and need replacing--sometimes cutting back will mean another show of flowers later. The bottom line is that the summer pansies are newer plants and are less likely to go to seed.