Impatiens walleriana
Impatiens are famous for their ability to liven up a shadowy recession of the yard .
Even deep shade does n’t phase them much . And we are n’t talking about adding just a bit of greenery to a shady smirch . Oh no , we ’re talking vivacious mound of pinkish , white , and purpleness .
Apparently , there are a lot of people who are looking to add leisurely colouring to their fishy place , because impatiens used to be the most pop bedding plant in the US .
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But during the early 2010s , impatiens set forth to go down out of favor because they were hit so hard by downy mould .
Instead of being the old shade - brightening reliable we know and love , the bedding plants that were a understudy in nurseries start up to become a liability throughout the legal age of North America .
Now , pretty impatiens are quick for their comeback thanks to raw cultivar and preventative techniques that agriculturalist are implementing .
What You’ll Learn
Quick Look
How to develop
cultivar to Select
Maintenance
generation
Pests and Disease
Best habit
Ready to chance out how you could make for impatiens to your space ? rent ’s jab in !
Common name(s):Impatiens , jewelweed , officious Lizzie , patience , touch - me - nots
Plant type : Annual heyday
Hardiness ( USDA Zone):2 - 11
Native to : Eastern Africa
Bloom metre / time of year : Spring , summertime , fall
Exposure : Partial sun , partial shade
ground case : deep , loamy , well draining
Soil pH:5.5 - 6.5 , slightly acidic
sentence to maturity:12 weeks
Spacing : 12 inches
Planting depth : Soil aerofoil ( seeds ) , same depth as container ( transplants )
fledged size : Up to 1 foot broad x up to 3 feet mellow
H2O Needs : High
Taxonomy
Order : order Ericales
kinsperson : Balsaminaceae
Genus : Impatiens
coinage : Walleriana
Cultivars : Various
The ornamental impatiens ( Impatiens walleriana ) that we recognize and love are originally from eastern Africa , though other coinage in the genus are native to Asia or North America .
Impatiens are sometimes call jewelweed , busy Lizzie , patience , or touch - me - not .
Impatiens is a reference to the plant ’s impatient nature . It ’s a Latin intelligence that distinguish the method by which the plant reseeds itself .
When the seeds are ready , they burst in a cracker - like fusillade at the slightest touch .
There are many plants in the genus , including :
Flowers can be orange , pink , majestic , ruby , violet , yellow , and bloodless , and many shades in between .
Impatiens can grow anywhere from 10 inches to three feet tall , depending on the cultivar .
Impatiens are one of the most honest flowering yearbook out there , and growing them is delightfully simple if you keep a few basics in mind .
With their dearest of coherent wet , bright filter light , and escaped , ample ground , these flowers are a go - to for shade gardens and container likewise . Theycan be grown under black walnutsand other trees that produce juglone .
And they can alsobe grown as a houseplantfor twelvemonth - turn color .
get ’s dig into what they necessitate to really thrive :
Light
Ideally , you should situate your plants somewhere that they ’ll receive a few hours of sunlight first matter in the morning .
Afternoon sun is too rough , though dappled sunlight is fine . If you plant them in full , deep shade , they ’ll survive , but the bloom will be reduce in size and act .
If you ’re spring up in a sunnier location , see usingNew Guinea impatiensinstead , as they bear more sun . Indoors , a spot near a shiny window without direct ray is idealistic .
Soil
These plants crave well - draining , organically racy soil with a somewhat acidic pH , ideally around 5.5 to 6.5 .
Most of us do n’t have that kind of soil by nature , so the effective way to make it is to add lots of well - rotted compost to the soil . Compost help to improve both sandy and heavy clay earth .
Temperature and Humidity
lovingness and humidness are central . Impatiens thrive when daytime temperature are in the 65 to 85 ° F range and they dead detest frost . Anything below 50 ° F can have impairment .
These tropic natives also prize gamey humidness , so misting or grouping with other plants can be beneficial indoors or in dry climate .
Water
Impatiens require a lot of water . The soil should n’t dry out too much , and that ’s part of the reason why they do n’t do well in full sun – they lean to dry out out too quickly .
When the open of the grunge begins to dry out , bring more body of water . If the plants set about to droop , you ’ve waited too long .
Fertilizer
Feed the plants with a flower - specific fertilizer once a calendar month , after the flower bud have formed .
Down to Earth Alfalfa Meal
Alfalfa Meal from Down to Earth is an excellent choice . Arbico Organics carrieshalf- and five - pound boxes .
In containers , a tedious - release fertilizer at planting time can also help maintain steady nutrient .
Container Growing
Impatiens do exceptionally well in muckle and hang basket . habituate a lightweight , water - retentive potting mix , and ensure the container has adequate drain .
Because container land dry out out faster , be prepared to irrigate more frequently .
Keep an center on container - recoil plants for mansion of root crowding — if they seem to dry out too quickly or stop blooming , it might be time to repot .
Impatiens are usually grouped according to series , which is a selling term used to mathematical group collections of plant with similar characteristics .
These will unremarkably share the same growth habit and cultural demand while being different from one cultivar to the next in terms of color , or patterns see on the flower .
Accent
The name is on the nose with this serial from Syngenta . These midget plants produce relatively massive flowers in equivalence to other varieties , which make them the perfect garden accent .
These reach a height of 10 to 12 inches and spread 10 inch . The orotund bloom are up to two in across , and seeds mature in 70 to 77 Clarence Shepard Day Jr. .
You ’ll find Accent serial cultivars in red , pink , orange , salmon , lilac , reddish blue , and whitened , as well as ‘ Peppermint Mix ’ ( a combo of pinkish - red-faced and white peak ) and other semen mixes , plus unique ‘ Star ’ cultivar with red , orange , violet , or salmon - color blossoms that have white star - shaped centre .
Accent ‘ Red Star ’
emphasis ‘ Red Star ’ source and a variety of other colour choice are available in bundle of 500from True Leaf Market .
Beacon
The Beacon series comes to us from PanAmerican Seed Company , and this flower was multiply to be tolerant to downy mold .
It was first introduced in 2020 and can now be feel across the country thanks to its power to withstand this widespread disease .
The seedlings tend to be more than other cultivars , but the cost will be well worth it when your soupcon - me - nots make it through the season whole .
pharos ‘ Paradise’Mix
These hardy peak are uncommitted in scarlet , reddish blue , salmon , coral , orange , rose , and white . The plants produce 14 to 18 column inch in elevation and spread 12 to 14 inches .
Beacon ‘ Paradise ’ mixing isavailable from Burpeein mail boat of 25 seeds or bundle of 24 bouncy plants in a premix of colors including white-hot , red , red coral , and violet .
Imara XDR
Imara is a name that symbolizes strength , but what ’s with the “ XDR ” ?
It stands for redundant disease resistance , with thrilling flower to boot ! This series , which was introduced in 2019 by Syngenta Flowers , is extremely resistant to downy mildew .
With cultivar in red-faced , orange , pink , purple , salmon , rose , and white , as well as mixes and colorful choice with ashen adept at their centers , the plants have a altitude and scatter of 10 to 12 inches .
seed are available from the Park Seeds Store in packs of 30via Amazon . This mix includes a mixture of firm - colour cultivars .
No doubt part of the reason impatiens are so popular is because they need hardly any maintenance to expect mythical . They are self - cleaning , which means you do n’t need to hit the spent flowers to see new efflorescence .
You do n’t need to pinch them back , either . They have a naturally shaggy-coated , thickset shape without any exploit on your part . However , feel free to pinch away if you want – it wo n’t hurt anything .
Impatiens are one of those flora thatgrow super easy from come , but you may also propagate them by rootle cut .
They ’re also usually available at nurseries in multipacks that are extremely affordable .
From Seed
germ should bestarted indoors12 weeks before the last envision frost date .
Here ’s how :
Here ’s a ready tip for the slothful nurseryman : If you live somewhere that does n’t have freezing temperatures below 32 ° F , you’re able to allow works that are growing in your garden to go to seed at the end of the season .
softly match the seedpods when they ’re mature . They will explode everywhere , sending seeds out into your garden bed . Next twelvemonth , as long as conditions are golden , you ’ll likely have new seedlings that pop up on their own .
From Cuttings
you’re able to well propagate impatiens by rooting cuttings as well .
New roots should imprint within a few weeks . Give the slip a gentle towboat . If it resist , you have deliver the goods ! Harden off the cutting as described above for seedling and embed it into the ground .
If it does n’t defy after a few calendar week , it likely wo n’t root . Toss it and start again .
From Seedlings/Transplanting
Impatiens are one of the cheapest yearly usable at the store . you could usually buy a six - battalion of them for a few bucks , and you could often come up them even chinchy towards the remnant of natural spring .
Once you fetch them home , organize the garden for planting . you could institute as soon as the last projected frost date for your domain has passed in the spring .
Dig a hole about the same depth and twice as wide of the mark as the container that the plant came in and remove it from the container . Gently loosen the roots and place the plant in the trap . Backfill with grime and water well .
Transplants should be spaced about 12 column inch apart . The closer you plant them , the tall the individual plant will grow .
Get more details on impatiens flower propagation .
Impatiens are mostly at risk of damage or illness make by herbivore and pubescent mildew , but there are a few other things you should keep an centre out for as well :
Pests
Disease
Regular inspection and upright cultural practice go a foresighted way in keeping your impatiens healthy and blooming .
Impatiens shine as a bedding plant , peculiarly in big group whenplanted en masse shot . They also work well as a molding selection or in container like windowpane boxes orhanging planter .
you’re able to uprise impatiens under Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , though you should n’t come in them where tree diagram ascendent are positioned near the surface of the soil .
Do n’t forget that you could eat the flowers , as long as they have n’t been treat with any chemical substance . Try them as a topping for salad or ice cream .
Impatiens Are Ready for Their Big Comeback
Impatiens once seemed unstoppable . But for most of the past 10 , they have become less and less pop because of the awful downy mildew plague sweeping through nurseries and garden in the UK and North America .
That ’s a shame , because this is such a low - maintenance , impressive plant that can fill up shady container , and those hard - to - filling spots under trees and on the north sides of buildings .
Fortunately , this lulu is ready to make its return . With impertinent growing techniques and insubordinate crossbreed and cultivars , you’re able to once again feel safe adding busy Lizzies to your garden .
Ready to learn about some other shade options for yourflowergarden ? You might find the follow guides useful :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . earlier published April 7th , 2022 . Last updated : May 10th , 2025 . ware photos via Burpee , Park Seeds , and True Leaf Market . Uncredited picture : Shutterstock . With extra writing and redaction by Allison Sidhu .
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Kristine Lofgren
