ANNUALS > IMPATIENS
IN THIS GUIDE
IMPATIENS GUIDES
Busy Lizzies are a shade garden touchstone and a byword for bedding that bring on heaps of charming warm - toned blooms .
Impatiens produce masses of colorful niggling flower during summer and are a brilliant bedding plant , even more so if your garden is blighted by shade , as these sensitive little plants will tolerate umbrageous term well .
As floriferous as these popular annuals are , they also have seriously pretty foliage .
Impatiens leaves are very shapely , of an elliptic to lanceolate form , usually slimly serrated and are a robust green shade .
Overview
PreferredFull Sun / Full Shade / Part Shade
ExposureSheltered
Height0.1 – 0.5 M
Spread0.1 – 0.5 M
Bloom TimeApril to August
PreferredSand or loam
MoistureMoist but well - drained
pHAny
Although Impatiens are not really annuals , they are effectively annuals in the UK and Europe and are treated as such because they can not tolerate depleted temperature .
In their aboriginal home ground of eastern Africa , they are in reality evergreen perennials.1Impatiens . ( n.d . ) . San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants . regain May 18 , 2023 , fromhttps://animals.sandiegozoo.org/plants/impatiens
Of a bushy , mounding habit that is by nature compact , Impatiens make tremendous container flora too .
Their small sizes intend little containers , and what good way to keep these herbaceous evergreens going until the following time of year than by just bringing the little pots indoors ?
Gardening expert Dan Ori recommend starting again each year with standard walleriana types as it can be hard to keep these look healthy year on year :
“ More susceptible to cold and fail out , the New Guinea Impatiens actually overwinter in the house well . ”
alfresco or indoors , these industrial plant wo n’t command deadheading as they are self - cleaning.2Russ , K. , & Polomski , R. ( 2017b , August 26).Impatiens . Home & Garden Information Center | Clemson University , South Carolina . regain May 17 , 2023 , fromhttps://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/impatiens/
Common Varieties
Over the retiring match of decades , Impatiens in the UK have been strike by a far-flung epidemic of downy mildew , specifically , Impatiens Downy Mildew ( IDM).3Impatiens downy mildew / RHS Gardening . ( n.d . ) . Royal Horticultural Society . Retrieved May 18 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/impatiens-downy-mildew
The devastation was so great that many garden had to cull their Impatiens and the plant start to be given up on.4Impatiens . ( n.d.-b ) . University of Florida , Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences . call back May 18 , 2023 , fromhttps://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/impatiens.html
Horticulturists have since developed Impatiens hybrids and cultivar series with resistance to downy mildew.5Lonnee , D. ( 2021 , May 19).New Downy Mildew Resistant Impatiens Cultivars . Minnesota State Horticultural Society . think May 18 , 2023 , fromhttps://northerngardener.org/new-downy-mildew-resistant-impatiens-cultivars/
In this transitional stage , the classic varieties are available for nurseryman alongside the newer serial publication that are mildew - immune , but I focus on the latter in this guide .
The species plant life can grow anything from 15 - 60 centimetre improbable with the spread a shade narrower .
It carry 5 - petalled flowers from 3 - 5 cm in diam wide which usually hap in tad of pink , purple , orange , red and blanched .
The following serial are claim to be downy mildew - resistant and are usable in the UK .
These cultivars are ultra - compact plant growing to only 20 cm magniloquent and wide .
The flowers are in standard hues , about 5 cm across and have a saturnine eye .
bloom initiate earlier and continues for foresightful .
The SunStanding serial subsumes various cultivars .
These cultivars may be uprise under any exposure , in full spook to full sun .
The Jazzy kinfolk features bloom that are very big at about 6 cm .
Moreover , it has motley leaves that are white-livered in the centre and gullible at the borders .
This is an honor - make headway serial publication with well - branched flora from 25 - 30 cm .
The blossom ’ hue are especially brilliant and vibrant .
These cultivars are a corking buy for home gardeners .
Although the flowers are not as large as Jazzy ’s , it produces them in neat richness and even has bi - colorful blooms .
How To Grow Busy Lizzies
engaged Lizzies are well and often grown from both seeds and cutting .
Impatiens seeded player should not be sown direct alfresco in the UK as the favorable season is too short for the plants to mature and flower .
I find that even strong sunlight arrive in through pattern meth or frosted trash becomes diffused perfectly for plant - grow purpose .
These works are also super - well-off to broadcast via softwood cutting .
To turn around that term ‘ Fully dauntless , ’ one might label Impatiens ‘ Fully Tender . ’
They are scab at H1B and H1C , think of that the minimum temperature they can endure are , respectively , 10 ° C and 5 ° atomic number 6 .
So , let alone freezing temperatures or freeze , if the mercury dips to even the single finger’s breadth , the temperature can kill these plant .
Though Busy Lizzies are not thought of as houseplants , the truth is that – with only a bit of effort – they make fantabulous potted flora for the rest home .
Though different Impatiens series and cultivars have middling depart sun - tincture predilection , all will do wonderfully well in fond tint , which is the most suitable position for them .
Impatiens should be sited in a sheltered spot .
Soil should retain wet yet debilitate very well . It should also be fairly fat but not dense .
So perhaps Busy Lizzies are a act fussy about dirt !
Start with a sandy loam and merged grit , perlite , or both to ensure excellent drain .
ruffle in constitutive compost in a 1:3 ratio with the loam and you ’re good to go .
If you cogitate the territory will dry out very quickly or if you are planting in full sun , then do amend with vermiculite .
Planting Impatiens
Though you may embed on Impatiens that you have grown from come or propagated from press cutting , keep in idea that they are conveniently corrupt as quid or modest potted plants from glasshouse and even garden centres .
Impatiens may be found outdoors after the last frost .
It would do well to wait until the stain has warmed up to decrease the likelihood of transplant jar and to get the industrial plant off to a good showtime .
In most region of the UK this would mean sometime in April .
For soil considerations please see sectionPreferred Soil and Drainage .
Before constitute Busy Lizzies outdoors , indurate them by putting the mess alfresco in the morning for four days or so for increase periods of clock time .
The transplant golf hole should be about the same depth as the pot and twice as wide .
Space the works by about 30 curium .
Gently broadcast out the root when transplantation .
When you backfill the hole ensure that the filth level is no higher on the main prow than it was in the mickle . weewee in the plant .
Please be cognizant that these works ’ root are rather fragile so herewith a ‘ cover with Care ’ advisory !
Busy Lizzies Plant Care
Impatiens need regular tearing .
Do not allow the soil to stay ironical , especially in red-hot weather .
At the same time , they also can not put up waterlogged soil .
As they are tender evergreen perennial , open - ground plantings will conk in recent fall but you may keep potted plants going yr - daily round by bringing them indoors or move them to the conservatory , if you have one .
For care guidelines if Impatiens are produce as houseplant , please see sectionOverwintering .
A big advantage that these flowering plant have is that they are self - cleanse , so there is no deadheading task .
Previously I would pinch the growing tips to channelise off legginess and ensure density but new cultivars have such a fine bushy and compact habit that even this may not be necessary .
Busy Lizzies do good from fertilising but do not feed them with a balanced rule as it will result in excessive stem and foliage growth .
Use a phosphor- and potash - point conceptualisation designed for maximising prime .
A slow - waiver or controlled - release fertilizer ( of the above type of formulation ) for flowering plants would be perfect .
How much piss Impatiens necessitate is strongly dependent on their place and the current temperature , besides the amount of pelting .
For example , if they are sit in full shade and you are experiencing cool days , then a weekly or bi - weekly watering will probably be enough , and if it has rained , then no watering at all .
But if they are positioned in full sun and you are having a heat wave and a dry spell , you will necessitate to water them day by day .
As a general rule , water open - priming coat Impatiens generously , allow the top centimeter or two of the soil to dry out , and then H2O again .
If you choose to overwinter your Busy Lizzies , you need to maturate them in container in the first place . Containers should have drainage holes .
Bring them indoors before the temperature falls to the single figure . ‘
Reverse - harden them first .
As far as sunlight is concerned , all they ’ll need is a few minute of morning sunlight or diffuse or filtered sun at any time of the solar day .
What is more important indoors are temperature and humidity .
A very worthy temperature range is between 13 - 22 ° C , and this should not amaze any problem indoors .
As for humidity , distinctive indoor humidness is not sufficient for Impatiens plant .
Humidity needs to be between 50 - 70 % so a humidifier will try very utilitarian .
To start with you could keep the jackpot on damp pebbles or orchid tray , mist the plants every other day , and see how it goes .
“ You are more likely to cause Downy Mildew problems with obnubilate , so watering should be enough , ” advises Dan Ori .
Water in nonindulgent relief as the plant are not grow actively and water will not dry out as much indoors as it did outdoors .
Water sufficiently to make the soil just moist and allow the soil to dry out out before lacrimation again .
Keep plants away from inhuman drafts and heating organization .
One of the attraction of Busy Lizzies is their willingness and power to play bridesmaid to the divas among flowering plants .
A profusion of elementary Impatiens bloom in smart feeling and that racy green leaf in a compact , sizable shape make for a utter backdrop to marvelous inflorescence plant that feature complex , extravagantly - imbue prime .
On the other hand , as Impatiens can flourish in shady orbit , theybecome the star topology attractions when paired with , comparatively duller , leafage - centric evergreen plant and hedging .
For the former type of companion planting , Aquilegia or Columbine is a big pick .
Others include Iris and Camellia . I do guess that someone should geminate Oriental Lily with Busy Lizzies .
For the latter character , Ferns and Hostas will be animate up with patches of Busy Lizzies .
For entirely different types of effects , try out tall , refined Delphinium among merry lilliputian Impatiens , and Hydrangea and Impatiens as ‘ pari passu ’ companions .
Impatiens flowers are not only edible , they have a pleasant sweet - vegetal predilection .
Andthatis the chief ‘ vulgar job ’ because everything from field mouse to deer love to nosh on these works .
There is no getting around the reality that if such herbivores are found in your locality , you will have to go under up yap or , much better , deterrents and repellant .
Like many exchangeable plants , Busy Lizzies can be attacked by aphids and wine weevils .
As mentioned , legacy multifariousness are very vulnerable to downy mildew .
Reviving A Dying Impatiens Plant
To stress to revive a dying Impatiens plant , you need to bump out why your plant might be dying .
Keep in judgment that heart-to-heart - ground Impatiens will die in late autumn because they can not survive wintertime in the UK .
If a plant is decease during the favorable season , examine the foliage , from which it will be promptly apparent if the plant has been afflicted by downy mould or attacked by herbivores .
If you respect a fine whitish down - similar coating on the foliage , usually on the undersurface , it is downy mildew .
If the leaves have been nibbled at and are hole - ridden , you will have to coif traps , deterrents or repellants for whatever herbivores are damaging the industrial plant .
Outdoors or indoors , Impatiens are susceptible to over and underwatering .
In both cause , the problem will manifest ab initio as loll farewell , but in most plants , the result of dry soil will be drooping leaves , while ascendant rot will direct to foliage wilt start up from the upper and outer leaf and work up down and inward .
just check the grunge to see if it is dry or soaked and mean back to whether and how the plant was watered during the retiring 10 - 14 Day .
While a plant life give out from lack of water is prosperous to save if you act quickly enough , the same can not be said for a industrial plant affected by root rot .
