How to Grow Impatiens

Impatiens provides brilliant color in the shade where few other flowers thrive. Unlike with most flowers, you never need to trim off spent blooms to tidy up the plant and promote longer flowering. As long as you give it plenty of water, impatiens will bloom magnificently from spring until frost.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bypass Pruners
• Compost Makers
• Fertilizers
• Garden Spades
• Garden Trowels
• Hand Cultivators
• Mulch
• Plants
• Seeds
• Seeds
• Plants

1. Buy healthy, green plants with no signs of wilting or disease. Plants should be stocky with plenty of leaves. It's actually a plus if they don't have any flowers on them - they'll divert their early energy into root development rather than flowering.

2. Choose a site in full to light shade. Impatiens like rich soil with ample moisture, so work a spadeful or two of compost into the soil.

3. Plant impatiens in spring after all danger of frost has passed.

4. Keep soil evenly moist - impatiens like plenty of water. Mulching is a good idea.

5. Fertilize every four to six weeks or work in a slow-release fertilizer at planting time.

6. Tear out and discard plants in fall, after frost fells them. In warmer climates, tear them out once they become spindly.

Tips & Warnings

• These annuals (they grow just one year) grow up to 1 foot high, in colors ranging from white through peach, pink, red and lavender.
• They also have a low, neat growing habit and resist most diseases and pests.
• In warm climates - USDA zone 11 and part of zone 10 - impatiens can be grown as perennials.
• Keep impatiens from drying out, or they'll become susceptible to disease.

[Robbiesue]

on 9/25/2008 I kept my impatiens in pots outside all summer and would like to try to save them for next year by bringing them indoors. Is this possible? Also, there appear to be a lot of baby impatiens growing (just leaves so far) in the soil underneath the originals. Is this normal and do I have a better chance of keeping the babies alive than the originals? Should I pull out the originals to give the babies a better chance? Thank you for any help.

[LGrier]

on 6/30/2008 My fiancee bought me a "strawberry star" impatiens. I am a newbie gardener, mostly just my houseplants. We've had it since April I believe and it is now not doing too well. I just transplanted it from a hanging basket into a pot. After I did that some of the "stalks" became kinda mushy while others are still firm. I have also noticed thta I have no flowers anymore. I'm not sure what I am doing wrong. I give it plenty of water and I fertilize it about 3x a month (per the directions that came with it) I miss the flowers they were beautiful. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can help my pretty little plant? Please email me at [e-mail]. Thank you. Monica

[Valdeth]

on 3/6/2008 I have grown impatiens for the past 5 years, and they never fail to amaze me. My house faces north and they love all the shade! They get huge: usually 1.5 - 2.5 feet tall and bloom profusely until frost. Each fall I put manure on the beds and in spring turn over the beds, and they seem to love that. I also give them plenty of water all summer long. They've become a summer staple for my garden.

[Blackbear]

on 11/12/2007 I have found that if I plant impatients by themselves they do not thrive very well. For example: Purchase a six pack from the nursery and plant only one leaving five to plant somewhere else. If I plant them around one another instead, they spread like crazy. They need each other!

[saralowe]

on 1/5/2007 I have found that my impatiens grow bigger and healthier with Dynamite Plant Food. Too many people use the Miracle Gro junk. Dynamite has micronutrients for healthy plants. It also lasts for 9 months instead of 3-4. I had actually used Miracle gro for a while and one of my master gardener friends told me about Dynamite