Derek Fell's Grow This! by Derek Fell

Author:Derek Fell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale
Published: 2013-02-12T05:00:00+00:00

This close-up shows the dinner plate–size ‘Luna’ hibiscus, developed from hardy wild North American swamp hibiscus.

Impatiens

(aka Patience Plant)

Nothing provides color for shaded areas like impatiens, especially ‘Accent’ and ‘Super Elfins’, but for the future, look for varieties specially bred for resistance to downy mildew.

GROW THIS! ‘Super Elfins’ and ‘Accent’ for shade

There are two kinds of impatiens commonly sold in garden centers: the patience plant, best grown in shade, and the larger-flowered New Guinea hybrids, bred for both sun and shade (see the next entry). The patience plant is the most widely used flowering annual for shade. For density of color, it beats other popular flowering shade plants like tuberous begonias and coleus. Two varieties of patience plant, the ‘Super Elfins’ and ‘Accent’, are at the forefront of sales. Both develop a spreading, mounded habit; large, overlapping, upward-facing blooms up to 2 inches across; and an extensive color range that includes solid colors (all shades of red, orange, and pink, plus white) and bicolors, usually with a contrasting eye color or a contrasting stripe running the length of each petal to create a shimmering effect. Anna Ball, owner of Pan America Seed, a plant breeding company, smiles whenever she sees her company’s ‘Elfins’ extending like a floral carpet around the shaded perimeter of the company’s extensive West Chicago trial garden. “When our breeders recommend the term ‘Super’ for a flower name, it means superior performance. And that’s what the ‘Elfins’ provide in sun or shade, when massed in beds, or if spilling from baskets and planters.”

BE AWARE! A new virulent mildew disease is spreading across North America and killing the familiar bedding-type impatiens by midsummer, but breeders are working to produce new resistant varieties of Impatiens × walleriana. Fortunately, New Guinea impatiens such as the ‘Sun Patiens’ are resistant (see next listing).

The ‘Jungle’ series of yellow and shades of orange impatiens are an oddity, but sparse flowering compared to ‘Accent’ and ‘Super Elfins’.

Generally, the double-flowered varieties of impatiens are not as free flowering as the single flowered, although they can look charming in hanging baskets and patio planters. The flowers resemble miniature roses.

Whatever you do, avoid planting impatiens in a single color, like the common red or red-and-white mixed—the favorite motel parking lot color combination. Think in terms of vibrant color blends, such as orange, deep pink, and lavender.

PLANT PROFILE

KNOWN BOTANICALLY AS: Impatiens × walleriana

ZONES: 3–11 as an annual; additionally, impatiens will perform as a perennial in Zones 10 and 11

PROPAGATION: By seed started indoors at least 8 weeks before outdoor planting after frost danger

SPACING: Minimum of 12 inches apart in light shade

PESTS AND DISEASES: Various chewing insects like caterpillars and Japanese beetles, but also the seed is susceptible to damping-off disease

PERFECT PARTNERS: Caladiums, coleus, petunias, and wishbone flower

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