Impatiens for summer

Flower & Garden Magazine, March-April, 1997 by William A. Shear

Is there a gardener anywhere in America who doesn't know about impatiens? These sturdy, almost ever-blooming bedding plants have made a rapid ascent to the top of the popularity charts. Still, some who plant them are not satisfied with their results. As adaptable and easy as impatiens can be, they won't thrive everywhere, a little knowledge about how and where to plant impatiens is needed for success.

First, some background. The Latin name Impatiens was given to this genus of plants because of their seed pods. When ripe, the pods burst explosively at the slightest touch, scattering sticky seeds far and wide. They are, as the name suggests, "impatient" to get on with the business of reproducing themselves.

Impatiens is a big genus, with species found in both temperate and tropical re ions. In the eastern United States, at least two native species can be found growing in moist places, often at higher elevations. Going by the common name of jewelweed, these are tall, straggling plants with interesting orange or yellow flowers that resemble snapdragon blossoms. Kids love to pop the fat, glossy seed pods with just a slight pinch. Jewelweed sap, liberally applied from the juicy stems, can counteract the effects of stinging nettles, which are often found growing nearby.

Our garden impatiens, however, are complex hybrids derived from tropical species. There are three main types;

Bedding impatiens, the most readily available, bear flat-faced flowers toward the tips of their stems, well above the foliage. They are tender perennials but are most often grown as annuals. Highly adaptable both in garden beds and containers, bedding impatiens can be purchased as seedlings from garden centers or grown from seed. They were once used primarily as houseplants, the Victorians knew them as "busy Lizzies."

New Guinea impatiens have larger flowers and thicker leaves that are often variegated in red, green and cream. They're also less adaptable, being best suited for use as patio container plants. They are usually available as plants propagated from cuttings of named varieties, though a few seed-grown strains, such as the Spectra hybrids, are available. New Guinea impatiens are more tolerant of direct sunlight than bedding impatiens -- in fact, they will bloom more abundantly if exposed to a few hours of sunlight daily.

The third type of impatiens was once the kind most often used outdoors but now is seen less and less. Balsam-flowered impatiens, or garden balsam (Impatiens balsamina), bear large single or double flowers up the length of stalks 12 to 30 inches tall. Narrow leaves are interspersed among the roselike blossoms and crown the stems with tufts of green. A true annual, it's easy to start from seed sown in place or given a head start indoors.

Of the three types. bedding impatiens are the most popular. Available in a bewildering array of named varieties, they range from dwarf, spreading plants growing no taller than 8 or 10 inches (Dazzler, Super Elfin) to medium-height, large-flowered hybrids (Accent, Pride, Blitz) to old-fashioned types that can top 2 feet by the end of the season. The floriferous Shady Lady series, a top performer in my garden, exceeds its described height of 12 to 15 inches in the long Virginia summers; individual plants can spread teet or more.

Most hybrid series of bedding impatiens feature a wide selection of colors, from deep red through all shades of pink and salmon to lavender-pinks and white. Bicolors, with either a neat star of white in the flower or an edging of a darker shade, are often included in mixtures. Many seed catalogs sell single-color packets of popular varieties, while garden centers usually offer only a mixture of colors.

Bedding impatiens are not difficult to raise from seeds (see "Starting Impatiens From Seeds," page 42). If you decide instead to buy transplants at a garden center, look for seedlings with healthy, dark foliage. It is better for the plants to have relatively few, large leaves than to have more, smaller, yellow-green ones. Unless color selection is important, try to buy shorter plants that have not yet flowered. Tall plants with small, yellowish leaves and several flowers are likely to be severely stunted by having spent too much time in their confining quarters, they will take time to adapt to your garden and may not start growing again for weeks. Beware of plants that have been outside in cold weather, they may be permanently damaged.

Once you have selected healthy plants, the next (and all-important) step is to be sure to plant them in the right place at the right time. Impatiens are tropical plants and will refuse to grow if planted too early in cold soil. Night temperatures should be at or above 50 degrees before you set the transplants out, and the soil should not feel cold to the touch.

An ideal site for impatiens is under high-branched trees, where a complex pattern of shadow and light play over the plants for most of the day. A few hours of sunlight early in the morning will do no harm, perhaps wilting the plants only on the hottest days. While some varieties of impatiens have been promoted as able to take nearly full sun, this simply doesn't work here in central Virginia the way it might in the watery sunlight of Britain. Impatiens exposed to even one-half hour of midday sun in hot-summer areas of the United States will wilt badly; they're a bit more tolerant of sunlight in the cooler, cloudier mountain regions. Insufficient light can be a problem as well. Impatiens planted in a dark spot under shrubs or low-branched trees or on the heavily shaded north side of a building will grow well enough (if there is sufficient moisture, which tree and shrub roots can monopolize) but bloom will be sparse at best.