Impatiens, beautiful and long-lasting blooming

Impatiens, or touch-me-not, is quite special among the cute spring and summer blooming flowers.

Important Impatiens facts

Name – Impatiens
Family – Balsaminaceae
Type – perennial grown as an annual

Height – 8 to 16 inches (20 to 40 cm)
Exposure – part sun and shade
Soil – ordinary

Flowering – May to September

You can thus decorate your flower beds, garden boxes and pots for many months in a row.

Planting impatiens

The planting of impatiens purchased in nursery pots is performed in spring.

• Prefer shade or part shade.
• One variety, Impatiens hawkeri or New Guinea impatiens tolerates sun.
• The soil must contain a lot of humus.
• Plant at least 8 to 10 specimens to a square yard (1 m²) to create amazing ground cover.

Mix your earth with flower plant soil mix and water generously to make the flower-bearing abundant.

For impatiens purchased as seeds, you can sow directly in the plot from April onwards but be careful in case of frost spells to protect your seedlings.

• If you want to plant impatiens in the sun, select sunpatiens.

Caring for and pruning impatiens

Impatiens care is child’s play and no pruning is actually required.

• Water regularly in case of heat wave.
• Adding flower plant fertilizer will enhance the blooming but you’ll still have flowers if you don’t fertilize.

Nonetheless, in pots or garden boxes, you can amplify the aesthetic appeal and stimulate budding of new flowers if you remove wilted flowers regularly.

All there is to know about the impatiens

Being very ornamental thanks to its bursting colors, this perennial or annual blooms remarkably in flower beds and garden boxes.

Care is elementary and growth is quick.

Don’t be surprised if your Impatiens don’t grow back from one year to the next because they fear the cold.

They’ll survive winter only where winters are mild.

• You might however try growing them in pots to bring them inside your house during the coldest months.
• If this is the case, reduce the watering to only once a month during the winter dormant phase.

If holes appear on the leaves, be on the lookout for slugs because they love impatiens and you must act fast.

Disease and enemy of impatiens

Smart tip about impatiens

During the blooming, feel free to water regularly but not too much to keep just the right moisture level.