Impatients Are Out This Year And Next Year, Do Not Purchase Any This Year.

originally posted by: AutumnWitch657
Good news from Hampton Virginia, my impatiens are doing just fine so far. I've already taken cuttings to make new plants.
Anyone who doesn't know this, you can pinch off a branch from the impatiens stick it in water, keep it in water about a week and it will grow roots. You can then plant it in the garden.
The same can be done with begonias and another great shade plant colius.

Good stuff and thanks for the post, please let us all know how they are doing in about a month.
From what I have read is that they should be all doing well or dead and gone.

Regards, Iwinder

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
I take it "impatients" are some kind of decorative plant?

I have never heard of them before. I just got a Christmas cactus though, yay me!

inpatients are shade plants that add color to areas where other flowers fail. They are available in mixed colors from red, fushia, pink, salmon, Orange, purple,and white. They have small dark green heart shaped leaves grow about a foot wide and 12-18 inches high.
www.google.com... 333333333334&bih=800&dpr=1.5
Here are some photos. You can see why shade gardeners hold them in such high esteem

I'll keep you posted. I started a seed bed just in case and lucky for me I can grow them until December in my neck of the woods. I may need that long to see any size out of the new plants.


a reply to: Iwinder

Ok guys it's now August and the impatience I bought at Lowe's are going strong. I've even taken cuttings and the babies are flowering too. I'm in coastal Virginia . Don't know it that makes a difference. My plants are 18 inches wide and about a foot tall. How did everyone do? Or did you all avoid them this year? Mine are strong and healthy with lots of blooms.

The seed bed produced about a dozen plants. These are doing great too though the plants are still small. No mold or fungus to report. So should I still be worried?

originally posted by: AutumnWitch657
Ok guys it's now August and the impatience I bought at Lowe's are going strong. I've even taken cuttings and the babies are flowering too. I'm in coastal Virginia . Don't know it that makes a difference. My plants are 18 inches wide and about a foot tall. How did everyone do? Or did you all avoid them this year? Mine are strong and healthy with lots of blooms.

Apologize for responding so late but I had some heath issues that needed seeing to.
In our city we never saw one impatience plant anywhere but the greenhouses all summer and fall long.
The greenhouse plants were all labeled with a warning that said more or less "Do not purchase these"
and people took note.

The only impatience we saw were the more expensive bush variety and they are impervious to this particular strain of fungi.

Thanks for posting your findings here and once more I am sorry for the long delay in posting back to you.
Regards, Iwinder

originally posted by: Iwinder

originally posted by: AutumnWitch657
Ok guys it's now August and the impatience I bought at Lowe's are going strong. I've even taken cuttings and the babies are flowering too. I'm in coastal Virginia . Don't know it that makes a difference. My plants are 18 inches wide and about a foot tall. How did everyone do? Or did you all avoid them this year? Mine are strong and healthy with lots of blooms.

Apologize for responding so late but I had some heath issues that needed seeing to.
In our city we never saw one impatience plant anywhere but the greenhouses all summer and fall long.
The greenhouse plants were all labeled with a warning that said more or less "Do not purchase these"
and people took note.

The only impatience we saw were the more expensive bush variety and they are impervious to this particular strain of fungi.

Thanks for posting your findings here and once more I am sorry for the long delay in posting back to you.
Regards, Iwinder

Another method of combating it wwould be to incorporate a different fungi strain such as mushrooms into the much. Strafaria, hen of the woods, or even certain strains of oyster. Aside from the fruit you could harvest, just symbiotically planting them would reduce (not eliminate) any spores from tthe damaging fungus having a competition free soil to reside in. Even if the mycellium never fruits spawn is an inexpensive addition to a shade garden that adds to fertility.

a reply to: Jarocal
Thanks for the above post!, good things to know and many thanks for sharing your wisdom with us on ATS.
Regards, Iwinder

Well I saw this thread way too late

I spend about $300 year planting all my borders with impatiens.

In 2013 they all died about 6 weeks after planting. And then the same thing happened this last summer. Never read anything about mold anywhere while all the big box stores had plenty of supply.

Looks like I've got some contaminated soil and won't be able to plant anything for a couple of years

I'm in the Pacific Northwest.

That's weird because my Double Impatients did beautifully this year. We purchased the plants from our local greenhouse (I'm in Manitoba). I planted them in my front yard under our crabapple tree that gives partial shade.

They were in full bloom from early June right up until last week when we hit our first overnight frost.

Mid Nov. and the plants are still blooming. They will keep going until we have a frost which for me is usually just around Christmas time. We've planted pansies for the winter months. I also have a ton of knockout roses in bloom right now. I sometimes have roses for Christmas decorating. We grow nandina for decorations because of the red berries. Like holly but not nearly as vicious to the hands.
Anyway, I'll be planning inpatients for next spring unless that mold situation finally reaches us here in Virginia.

a reply to: Julie Washington

Looks like I've got some contaminated soil and won't be able to plant anything for a couple of years

You certainly can plant next year, just research what is safe to plant in your now contaminated soil.
Check out the links in the OP and you will be good to plant next spring with other species of plants.

It's a shame you spent so much money two years in a row and lost it all. Our planting budget is usually around $600.00 or a bit more depending on what we fancy at the time of purchase.
This past year it was higher by at least $150.00 because we bought alternative plants but in the long run we ended up with a riot of colours:-) so all was good in our books and yard.

Regards, Iwinder

originally posted by: CranialSponge
That's weird because my Double Impatients did beautifully this year. We purchased the plants from our local greenhouse (I'm in Manitoba). I planted them in my front yard under our crabapple tree that gives partial shade.

They were in full bloom from early June right up until last week when we hit our first overnight frost.

Glad to hear you avoided this blight and all went well.
Be careful next year of what your buy and plant, but from the looks of things they seem to have a handle on it now.
Too late for us and many others till the soil is safe to plant in again.

Regards, Iwinder

originally posted by: AutumnWitch657
Mid Nov. and the plants are still blooming. They will keep going until we have a frost which for me is usually just around Christmas time. We've planted pansies for the winter months. I also have a ton of knockout roses in bloom right now. I sometimes have roses for Christmas decorating. We grow nandina for decorations because of the red berries. Like holly but not nearly as vicious to the hands.
Anyway, I'll be planning inpatients for next spring unless that mold situation finally reaches us here in Virginia.

Sounds beautiful and I must say that we really would love a longer growing season like you enjoy where you live.
Ahhh the grass is always greener on the other side no?

Regards, Iwinder

originally posted by: Iwinder
a reply to: Jarocal
Thanks for the above post!, good things to know and many thanks for sharing your wisdom with us on ATS.
Regards, Iwinder

I'm not a permaculturalist, just a lazy gardener. I do use permaculture principles in my designs and tend to pack a large quantity and diversity in my plantings with many being sacrificial ground covers, nitrogen fixers, and mycellium to condition the soil as well as out compete "weeds". I only mulch with wood chips (not mix it in the soil as it will rob nitrogen). With mine most of thethe plantings are aimed at succession to productive plants and ornamentals aimed as support such as drawing pollinaters to the area before the fruit/berry plants start flowering but the patterns can be observed and applied to an ornamental shade gardens as well.

a reply to: [post=18650784]Iwinder

Yeah well our summer's are jungle hot and muggy and the mosquitos cover you as soon as you go out so any hard work needs to be done in the spring and fall and early winter. There's a trade off for every advantage I guess. Long Island NY has a longer growing season than the rest of the state as it sticks out into the Atlantic and catches part of the gulf stream. It also runs east west so has a great southern exposure comparable to southern France in light quality. The summers are hot but breezy from the surrounding ocean. I had my best gardens when I lived there but we left in 1991 to live here in coastal Virginia. I will say this, the swimming season is much longer the water warms up in June and stays warm through mid Sept. We seldom have snow so driving through the winter is safer. But then we get hurricanes and flooding in summer. Like I said trade offs...

Anyone know if this is for certain an issue this year?

Nursery's are selling them and I haven't heard an update. I've asked the nursery workers about it, but they dodge a firm answer.

a reply to: kosmicjack

If the nurseries are selling them....and they are reputable...all should be well....but I dunno.
Maybe call one of the higher end ones and ask to speak to the person who orders the annuals.

Last year in my state, you could get them, but not at the better places...and
I haven't checked this year yet.

www.whatgrowsthere.com...

No, the worldwide disease outbreak of downy mildew on garden impatiens is not over. But new disease resistant cultivars of impatiens are arriving at garden centers this spring.

Two of the newest are: SunPatiens® Spreading Shell Pink and Bounce® Pink Flame (‘Balboufink’). Sunpatiens thrives in half-day to full sun. Bounce impatiens are New Guinea types and grow either in modest shade to half-day morning sunlight (zones 6-8).

and this
www.freep.com...

The plan they created starts in the greenhouse, when the impatiens are first planted, and includes a strict regimen of commercial fungicides following particular guidelines of spraying and drenching at certain time intervals.

"We're subscribing to fairly new fungicides," Hausbeck said. "They have chemistry that is, for the most part, considered to be environmentally safe. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) uses the term reduced risk. They're not going to be harmful to the environment, to bees or other elements of the garden that people are very concerned about."

By the time the impatiens make it to the market to be sold, they should be protected from the disease for the entire growing season, Hausbeck said, while acknowledging that weather conditions do play a part.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Maybe call one of the higher end ones and ask to speak to the person who orders the annuals. Last year in my state, you could get them, but not at the better places I haven't checked this year yet.

Walmart and likewise places don't give a crap about your garden and they don't know anything about plants.
Good advice for sure, keep in mind that the soil itself is contaminated for two years if you planted them and they were infected. Absolute fact and I am not trying to fear monger, I am trying to save you money.

We hope to plant them next year but we are going to wait and see for this year. We will go again with Begonia's this year just to be safe....after losing 10 flats of impatiens two years ago at great cost we ourselves will wait for another year.
The problem is if they are indeed infected they die off fast and by that time there is nothing left to purchase from the garden centers in our area.
So last time where our gardens looked quite nice and full it was all gone in just two weeks. Not a good feeling and yes indeed we only plant to please ourselves not for show and tell,
We were both devastated about the loss and we won't risk it again! If you can't get a straight answer from the green houses don't touch them.

Regards, Iwinder

originally posted by: kosmicjack
Anyone know if this is for certain an issue this year?

Nursery's are selling them and I haven't heard an update. I've asked the nursery workers about it, but they dodge a firm answer.

Reason to worry then if they dodge your questions...don't chance it if you can.
Regards, Iwinder