• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • Garden design
  • Container gardening
  • Food to grow
  • Gardens to visit
  • Events for gardeners
Garden Making

Garden Making

Inspiring ideas and information for great home gardens

Home » New Plentifall pansies

New Plentifall pansies

By Judith Adam Filed Under: Making a Garden

This pseudo-winter has fooled me into all sorts of outdoor thinking. In more rational moments, I know there’s probably a huge wallop of snow coming between now and the end of March. But my more enthusiastic angels are saying to get on with spring planning. And with just the mere suspicion of spring, a gardener’s thoughts turn to — pansies!

Plentifall pansies. Photo courtesy of stokeseed.com
Plentifall pansies. Photo courtesy of stokeseed.com

Wouldn’t you know, there’s a new pansy bred to do the unexpected. Plentifall pansies are in seed catalogues (stokeseed.com, harrisseeds.com, thompson-morgan.com), and I hope they will also be in garden centres this spring. Plentifall looks like many other purple, lavender, white and yellow whiskered pansies, but its growth habit is semi-trailing. Plants are six to eight inches (15 to 20 cm) tall and spread 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm), making them perfect for hanging baskets and containers, where their long trailing stems of pansy flowers can cascade down the sides. What’s more, they can be planted directly into the garden and used as a groundcover, which seems a startling idea to me. Instead of straggling along, the plants will spread out and meld together into a mat, making a long-flowering display in full sun to partial shade. And Plentifall is nicely scented.

Some hybridizers just don’t know restraint, and they kept working more features into these pansies. Plentifall has superior cold hardiness and can be expected to overwinter in the ground in Zone 6. At the start of winter, plants set out in spring can be covered with straw, and then a layer of leaves; early the following spring, they’ll grow again. Or, seeds can be started in summer for planting out in mid-August for an autumn display lasting until hard frost, then covered for winter, and another growth period in spring.

Plentifall has exceptional vigor; so much so that it can’t be grown in standard cell packs, and requires a larger pot for nursery sales. That brings up the initial cost, but these pansies cover a lot of territory and provide a long season of bloom, with possibly even a second display the following spring, so are worth the investment. I really appreciate it when plant scientists turn their skills to making plants stronger and more useful. The hybridizers at PanAmerican Seeds are my new best friends!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Share this article

Published: January 28, 2012 | Updated: February 7, 2019

About Judith Adam

Judith Adam is a horticulturist, landscape designer and author of several best-selling gardening books, including Landscape Planning. She lives in Toronto.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Garden Making website

explore

  • Books for gardeners
  • Containers in your garden
  • Events for gardeners
  • Food to grow
  • Garden design
  • Gardens to visit
  • Growing from seed
  • How to
  • Plant ideas
  • Prizes for readers
  • Tips for gardeners

Members

  • Member login
  • Register for free membership
  • Manage your email preferences
  • Add your event listing
  • View events you’ve submitted
  • Backup form to submit event

Events for gardeners

May 24
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Catherine Kavassalis on herbs

Organizer: Brampton Horticultural Society
Laura: 905 799-1929
May 25
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Peterborough Horticultural Society Monthly Members’ Meeting – IN PERSON YAY!

Organizer: Peterborough Horticultural Society
416-846-0778
May 25
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Joyce Hosty on Foodscaping: Edible Landscapes

Organizer: Peterborough Horticultural Society
May 27
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Selkirk Annual Plant Sale

Organizer: Selkirk & District Horticultural Society
(204) 738-2368
May 28
8:00 am - 12:00 pm

Bronte Annual Plant Sale

Organizer: Bronte Horticultural Society
View Calendar

Get email updates

Join 9,702 gardeners who get our email updates. We do not share emails.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Copyright © 2022 Inspiring Media Inc. | GARDEN MAKING is a registered trademark | About | Service | Terms of use | Privacy policy