Colorful impatiens!
Planting, Growing, and Caring for Impatiens
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Impatiens are one of the rare annual plants that will provide colorful blooms in shady gardens—so they’re also perfect for hanging baskets or containers on porches. Learn how to plant, grow, and care for impatiens.
About Impatiens
Impatiens are very popular as both a bedding and hanging plant. Also called “Busy Lizzies,” these beauties are low-maintenance and don’t even need pinching! The genus name, Impatiens, is a Latin word describing how its seeds shoot out of its pods when ripe (the slightest touch can make a ripe impatiens seed pod burst open and scatter its contents).
Ornamental impatiens are primarily from two groups, Impatiens walleriana and New Guinea impatiens, Impatiens hawkeri. The two look different, but growing them is pretty much the same. I. wallerina cultivars are less tolerant of sunshine than the New Guinea hybrids, and the latter has larger foliage.
Of short to medium height, most impatiens varieties grow 8 to 15 inches tall, although some types reach 30 inches. They are perennials in frost-free areas but are grown as annuals or houseplants everywhere else.
Use impatiens for a splash of all-season color in any area that receives partial shade. Because of their shallow root system and low height, impatiens are ideally suited to containers like hanging baskets, window boxes, or deck railing planters. They also work well in the “filler” role in larger containers.
Growing
Impatiens are not fussy and, if planted in the correct location, will thrive with little effort–one of the reasons they are popular.
- The most important thing to remember about impatiens is to water them regularly. Keep the soil moist but not too wet. If the plants dry out, they will lose their leaves. If you over-water the plants, it encourages fungal diseases.
- Container-grown impatiens will benefit from fertilizer applied every two weeks when watering.
- Deadheading, while not strictly necessary, will improve their appearance and encourage more blooms.
Overwintering Impatiens
Impatiens are hardy in zones 10-12, but even a light frost will kill them. If you have a favorite color you’d like to overwinter, either take cuttings or dig up the plant and bring it inside. Depending on your available sunlight and day length, a grow light may be necessary.
Propagating Impatiens
Impatiens can be easily propagated from stem cuttings–a great way to get more of a favorite color or gift it to a friend. At the end of the growing season, taking cuttings and growing them over the winter may be easier than digging up entire plants and trying to keep them alive in the house.
- Inspect your plant to make sure it is pest-free.
- Sanitize your shears with alcohol.
- Choose several strong stems and snip them 4-6 inches below the bloom.
- Remove the flower and all but the upper one or two pairs of leaves.
- Place the cuttings in a clear glass container filled with clean water. If your water is treated by your municipality, let the water sit on the counter for 24 hours first to allow most of the chemicals to dissipate.
- In a week or two, when fine white roots appear, transition the cuttings to the soil in one of two ways:
- Plant them in individual pots filled with moist potting mix.
- Add a bit of potting mix to your glass container daily until it is completely filled with soil after a week. After filling the jar with soil, remove the plants and repot.
Andy Wilcox
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My Impatiens that i bought from nursery 10 days ago is not thriving. I repotted in nursery itself but now all the branches have drooped. Did i kill it ? it was flowering in nursery. Please help.
I have a double impatient plant , is it an inside or outside plant? How do I look after it as I’m new to growing flowers.
Strong winds and rain made my plant wilt and look sick. I put it indoors on a window ledge and it thrives. Might help.
Hi Violet, Thanks for your question. Your double impatiens can be either a house plant or grown outdoors. They are best known as garden bed plants that provide a pop of color throughout the growing season, but are also well suited for containers and hanging baskets. Since impatiens are a tropical plant, they are very sensitive to cold and should not be put outdoors or planted until there is no threat of frost.
Impatiens need rich, moist, and well-drained soil and do best in partial shade. They need regular water, so keep them moist, but not too wet. Impatiens grown in containers or hanging baskets will need more water.
I live I Hawaii my impatient plant is about four years old and it tend to droop I water it but that only helps a little do impatients get all and die after a period of time
Aloha, Jim,
You’ve done well to keep an impatiens plant for several years; they are generally grown as annuals but of course you have ideal conditions. Watering impatiens anywhere—too much or too little—can be tricky. Your plants might be getting too much water; that could cause them to be saturated and droop. If they are drooping in the midday, when the temp is the warmest in hot sun, they may be drooping in response but might perk up later in the day if you leave them alone. Then again it might be time to start or purchase some new ones. We hope this helps!
I see HUGE mounds of impatiens all over. They seem pretty tall and densely packed. How do you plant to get those huge mounds? Do you have to have a large tall pile of dirt to achieve that? Just planting them ground level doesn't have the same effect. Thanks much
My family has had a variegated leaf impatiens since 1960 and have dtaken many cuttings to continue propagation. My mom dies in 2012 and I have had her last plant which I am sad to say is dying. I have take cuttings and placed in water, but they do not seem to look well. The unusual thing this time was that at the end of one of the stalks it became mushy. Last year one of the plants stalks at the base became mushy and try as we might, we never got an offshoot to root. . I am trying to root some cuttings, but they look very droopy. I had been watering the plant and giving it all in one Rose and Flower Care by BioAdvanced weekly ( diluted) as this was advised by a gardener. It has been doing well up until this past week. i am heartbroken as I have never seen another varigated leaf impatints. My mother called it Lady of the White House. So for 50+ years we have kept this plant going. Is there any suggestion That would help this plant to live and root? Thank you.
My impatiens in a pot has lots of buds, but they dont open. The ones that do open just hang limp. What's wrong? Thanks.
Try moving it to a slightly brighter spot or adjusting your watering. Lack of light can produce subpar blooms, as can over- or underwatering. Look for other signs that the plant could be struggling, such as drooping, yellowing leaves or brown leaf tips.
