How to Grow Imagination Scarlet
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Imagination Scarlet
Impatiens walleriana 'Imagination Scarlet'
flowerImagination Scarlet is a vibrant impatiens cultivar featuring brilliant scarlet-red flowers on compact, bushy plants. Known for its prolific blooming and ability to thrive in shade, it's a popular bedding plant for containers and shaded garden beds. The dark green foliage provides excellent contrast to the striking red blooms.
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Example Imagination Scarlet timeline · Pittsburgh, PA (Zone 6b)
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Plant Imagination Scarlet
Around Apr 17Near Pittsburgh's average last spring frost.
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Tend & protect
Late spring–summerWatering, feeding, and pest-watch reminders.
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First Imagination Scarlet blooms
Around Jun 6≈ 50 days after planting
Sample dates for Pittsburgh, PA. Sign up to get exact Imagination Scarlet dates for your own zip code.
Growing Conditions
Soil
Growing Zones
Find your zone →Thrives in zones 3b-11 as an annual; grown year-round in zones 10-11
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Seedling
2-3 weeksTiny cotyledons emerge and develop into small oval leaves. Very delicate with thin stems.
Maintain high humidity, consistent moisture, and bright indirect light. Keep soil temperature around 70-75°F. Avoid overwatering which causes damping off.
Vegetative Growth
4-6 weeksPlant develops multiple stems and establishes bushy form. Leaves become larger and darker green. No flower buds yet.
Pinch off top growth when 3-4 inches tall to encourage branching and bushier habit. Maintain consistent moisture and provide bright shade. Begin fertilizing every 2 weeks with balanced liquid fertilizer.
Flowering
4-8 weeksFlower buds form at stem tips. First scarlet-red flowers appear and gradually open into 1.5-2 inch blooms.
Increase fertilization to every 10-14 days with a flowering-formula fertilizer (higher phosphorus). Deadhead spent flowers to encourage continuous blooming. Maintain consistent watering.
Peak Bloom & Maintenance
8-12 weeks until frost or end of seasonPlant produces abundant scarlet flowers continuously covering the foliage. Full bushy form with many flowering stems.
Continue deadheading for maximum blooms. Monitor for pests and diseases in humid conditions. Maintain steady moisture without waterlogging. Feed every 10-14 days.
End of Season
Variable depending on locationFlowering slows as temperatures cool or days shorten. Plant may become leggy if not pinched back. In frost zones, plant dies back with first freeze.
Can be cut back by half to rejuvenate and encourage fall blooming in warm zones. In cold zones, allow plant to decline naturally or collect seed before frost.
Companion Planting
Plan your garden →Plant with:
Avoid planting near:
Common Pests
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Increase humidity and mist foliage regularly. Spray with insecticidal soap or neem oil if infestation occurs. Isolate affected plants.
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Monitor undersides of leaves. Use yellow sticky traps. Spray with neem oil or insecticidal soap. Improve air circulation.
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Remove with cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. Spray with neem oil. Isolate infected plants to prevent spread.
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Reduce overwatering and improve drainage. Use sand layer on soil surface. Yellow sticky traps. Soil drench with neem oil if severe.
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Improve air circulation and reduce humidity if possible. Remove affected leaves. Spray with sulfur fungicide or neem oil. Avoid wetting foliage.
Uses
Non-edible Ornamental
CulinaryImagination Scarlet is not edible and should not be consumed. It serves purely as a decorative plant. [source]
Shade Garden Bedding
HouseholdIdeal for brightening shaded corners, beneath trees, and north-facing locations where few flowers thrive. Provides reliable color in difficult low-light areas where other plants struggle. [source]
Container & Hanging Basket Display
HouseholdCompact growth habit makes it perfect for pots, hanging baskets, window boxes, and mixed containers. Creates spectacular massed displays on patios and entryways. [source]
Indoor Houseplant
HouseholdCan be grown as a houseplant on bright windowsills with indirect light, or under grow lights. Provides colorful indoor blooms and adapts well to indoor humidity levels. [source]
Pollinator Attractant
WildlifeAttracts hummingbirds and small pollinators with its bright scarlet flowers and nectar. Provides valuable food source for wildlife in shaded gardens. [source]
Harvest Tips
This is an ornamental plant grown for flowers, not harvest. Deadhead spent flowers regularly to promote continuous blooming throughout the season. Pinch stems back in mid-summer if plant becomes leggy to encourage new growth and more flowers. Remove any yellowing or diseased leaves promptly.
Fun Facts
- 🌱 Impatiens are called 'touch-me-nots' because their seed pods explosively burst open when ripe and touched, dispersing seeds up to several feet away as a natural seed dispersal mechanism.
- 🌱 Imagination Scarlet thrives in shade better than almost any other flowering annual, making it a workhorse plant for challenging dark corners where marigolds and zinnias would fail.
- 🌱 The name 'impatiens' comes from the Latin 'impatiens' meaning 'impatient,' referring to the eagerness of the seed pods to disperse their seeds.
Gardening Terms
New to gardening? Learn about terms used in this guide:
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