Busy Lizzie Mildew

Just came across the article below on Busy Lizzie mildew. BL seem to be making a comeback , I have ordered a tray of them due next week. There is no cure for the mildew so you still need to be aware of it . Note the mildew does not effect Impatien New Guineas.

You may be aware of recent problems with common Busy Lizzies (Impatiens walleriana) caused by Impatiens Downy Mildew.

Impatiens Downy Mildew is an airborne fungus, which causes yellowing of the leaves and a white powdery-looking, fungal growth on the underside of the leaves. This is followed by loss of the leaves and flowers leaving just a skeleton of the plant’s stems. Plants will eventually die.
The disease spores can remain in the soil from one season until the
next and can spread rapidly in wet summer conditions. There is currently no chemical control available to the amateur market. We recommend that any infected plants are disposed of, burnt or buried deeper than 50cm (20in). Affected areas should be rested from growing Impatiens walleriana for at least two years to avoid recontamination. Where infected plants have been grown in containers, replace the compost and wash and use a garden disinfectant, as directed by the manufacturer, to cleanse the container if you intend to grow Impatiens in it again the following year.
Impatiens Downy Mildew is specific to seed grown Impatiens walleriana and does not spread to and will not affect other bedding plants. New Guinea types (Impatiens hawkerii) are not affected.

 

for the heads up @HarryS, fortunately, i don't use BL's in my garden as sadly they never seem to attract any pollinators But i did have a pretty little BL pot plant i kept indoors last year.... that flowered her head off for months on end
So sad that our plants are having to fight these viruses and even sadder that toxic chemicals will be sold to control them- thus affecting our struggling pollinators

 

They are good for the shady spots but I agree with BeeHappy, they don't cater to pollinators so I'm not keen, part of the enjoyment of gardening for me is seeing how much I can help wildlife

 

I never thought of plants being poor pollinators . I understood there are good pollinators , but never realised some plants are very poor . Posts from another forum on this......

Q:I read that plants like pansies, begonias, bedding pelargoniums, petunias, busy lizzies and hydrangeas are useless for pollinators as they do not provide food. Could anyone explain why?

A: Most of those plants are hybrids - bred to produce bigger, more beautiful flowers and are sterile. Some double flowered plants are also not much use to pollinators as the insects cannot get through the many petals to find any pollen if it is available.