Plant Guide

Group/Class:  Freefall™ XL Series

Brand:  Syngenta

Description:

A beautiful, very floriferous series with a non-tangling, spreading habit; quick flowering, large scarlet blooms with deep red blotches cascade from green foliage; excellent weather tolerance to harsh conditions, great for container, basket or landscapes

Ornamental Features

Freefall™ XL Scarlet Blotch Pansy has masses of beautiful scarlet flowers with yellow eyes and a burgundy blotch at the ends of the stems from early spring to late fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. Its crinkled oval leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Freefall™ XL Scarlet Blotch Pansy is an herbaceous annual with a trailing habit of growth, eventually spilling over the edges of hanging baskets and containers. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Self-Seeding

Freefall™ XL Scarlet Blotch Pansy is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Freefall™ XL Scarlet Blotch Pansy will grow to be only 6 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 18 inches apart. It grows at a fast rate, and tends to be biennial, meaning that it puts on vegetative growth the first year, flowers the second, and then dies. However, this variety tends to self-seed and will thereby endure for years in the garden if allowed, although because it is a hybrid, the seedlings may not come true to type.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider covering it with a thick layer of mulch in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

Freefall™ XL Scarlet Blotch Pansy is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. Because of its trailing habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.