Table of Contents
Compact impatiens grow 10 to 16 inches tall and approximately 10 to 15 inches wide. Newer varieties of impatiens grow to heights reaching up to 36 inches.
Do impatiens come back every year?
A: Impatiens do indeed come back from their own seed each year. You’ll realize with experience that the seedlings don’t begin blooming until late May, which is why most folks plant blooming, nursery-grown impatiens plants in April. To get yearly re-seeding, leave the bed alone after winter kills the plants.
Do impatiens spread?
Producing a rainbow of blossom colors, impatiens plants (Impatiens wallerana) commonly flower in summer and autumn. They do not spread like grass or strawberry plants, but they form bushy mounds with an aggressive seeding habit.
How much sun do impatiens need?
Impatiens perform best in moist, well-drained soils in partial shade. Sites that receive 2 to 4 hours of filtered sun during the day or morning sun and afternoon shade are usually ideal. Impatiens can also be grown in heavy shade. However, plants will be taller and bloom less profusely in heavily shaded locations.
How quickly do impatiens grow?
Impatiens is a slow-growing plant, and you’ll need to start the seedlings about three months before your last spring frost. Impatiens seed germination can take up to 21 days, with most of the sprouting happening within the first two weeks.
Why are my impatiens so tall?
Leggy Plants Impatiens can begin to look leggy and worn out when temperatures rise in midsummer. Spindly plants benefit from drastic pruning, cutting the stems down to about 3 inches above the ground. This may seem drastic and sets the plant back for a short time.
How long do annual impatiens last?
Blooms can last 210 days a growing season if impatiens are planted in locations that have long summers, according to the University of Mississippi. At the end of the summer, flowers start to go into dormancy. The first frost will mark the end of your blooms.
How do you care for impatiens outside?
They enjoy moist but well draining soil and partial to deep shade. They do not do as well in full sun, but if you would like to plant them in full sun, they will need to be acclimated to the harsher light. You can do this by exposing the impatiens plants to an increasing amount of sunlight over the course of a week.
When should you cut back impatiens?
Just once or twice, beginning first in midsummer, cut back the entire plant by four to six inches (10-15 cm.), or three inches (7.5 cm.) from the ground. Only do this if you see the plant becoming leggy. If it remains full and grows well, there is no need to cut back.
How do you make impatiens bushy?
Impatiens are one of those plants that benefit from “pinching,” or pruning off spent blooms as well as stems. Pinching back stems encourages branching growth that makes the plants more bushy, while also promoting the development of new buds and flowers.
How close should I plant impatiens?
Space your impatiens close together to incite taller growth. Planting impatiens about six inches apart will encourage them to grow upright. Conversely, if you’re planting impatiens as groundcover in a flower bed, space them farther apart—about 10 to 12 inches.
Will impatiens grow in full shade?
Impatiens are easy to grow in any moist, well-drained soil in a shady or semi-shady location. If planted in soil that is too cold, these plants will languish for the entire growing season.
What flowers go well with impatiens?
In shade containers or flower borders, these make lovely companion plants for impatiens: Asparagus fern. Sweet potato vine. Coleus. Caladium. Begonia. Fuchsia. Elephant ear. Bacopa.
How do you keep impatiens blooming?
Impatiens plants bloom best with some shade, a requirement that often leads to misunderstanding. While some impatiens bloom well in full shade, for the most part they’ll perform better with at least some sun. On the other hand, too much sun will cut down on blooming, too. Avoid planting your impatiens in full sun.
Will impatiens last through winter?
If you’re real lucky, impatiens will perform the following season. But their origins are in the tropics; they would prefer to bask in heat and humidity. Dry winds desiccate their leaves, and cold temperatures and moisture cause their roots and stems to rot.
Can you grow impatiens in the house?
Impatiens can be grown successfully in normal room temperatures with a humidity of at least 50%. If the temperature is above 75 degrees, they will require high humidity. Plants should be placed on saucers of moist pebbles and should have their foliage misted daily.
What are double impatiens?
Double flowering Impatiens walleriana and their hybrids are the go to choice for bringing instant color to shady sites. Varieties are available with flower colors from bright to pastel to striped – and all have lush green foliage. Gorgeous planted en mass, they also mix well with annuals, perennials and shrubs.
Why do my impatiens look terrible?
Did your impatiens look like this last year? You might have had a downy mildew attack, aka The Impatiens Plague! The culprit was impatiens downy mildew disease. This is a fungus-like water mold with the scientific name Plasmopara obducens.
Do you cut back impatiens in the fall?
Cut off all foliage at the end of the fall season. Cutting the plants back allows them to survive cooler weather in USDA zones 8 through 10 and prepare for reemergence the following spring. You can cut impatiens back to within three inches of the plant’s base as fall turns to winter.
What do you do with a busy Lizzie in the winter?
Just cut off a shoot, remove lower leaves (which would rot in water) and leave in a glass of water until roots appear. When there are plenty of roots, pot it up. Keep it frost free. They won’t survive outside in winter.
