Impatiens (Impatiens flowers, Annual) Review

If you are looking for a flower that will grow well in the shade I would go with Impatiens.  They are very hardy and come in a wonderful selections of colors. Reds, pinks, white, salmons, oranges and purples. They bloom from spring till fall.  If you love the look of Impatiens, but have more sun, look for the variegated leaves that do wonderful in sun. They also have "double flowered" Impatiensthat look like mini roses. (I love my doubled blooms). (Again if they don't have a variegated leaf then they shouldn't be in full sun).  All grow about 8-20 inches high and you should space them about 10 inches apart for good growth. Ya know...a little elbow room is good. If frost is in the forecast, make sure to cover these plants up...they don't like the frost! I have purchased very cheap sheets for just this reason.

Impatiens are very easy to grow.  You can buy them either by seeds or the easier way is to buy new growth seedling plants. Plant in a healthy soil, and make sure they are not in a overly wet soil.  A once a day watering is fine. (Amy's tip:  When you water your plants, no matter what kind they are...either water in the early morning, dusk or night time, and the reason why this is, is because if you water your plants in the day time, the water droplets will act as a magnify glass and could burn your plants.  Again when a flower starts to wilt and dies, pinch it off, because when you do this it helps feed the roots to produce more blooms later on. When you feed your plants with like Miracle-Gro, make sure to get the leaves and flowers...plants suck in all that goodness).

This is a super plant for shade and if you like the look, but have more sun, go for a variegated leaf that can handle the sun.