Impatiens - the other species

It has been prevalent this year, and as long as it sticks to the Busy Lizzies that's fine by me!

Apologies in advance to all those who like them - nothing personal!!

 

I found these Siamesed flowers on my I.niamniamensis this morning!

 

Peter , thanks , for the redirection from the other impatien thread , I had missed this post An excellent introduction to this genus of plants and probably most only know the good old Bizzies!
There does seem to be an anti Busy Lizzie section on this thread I will stick up for them , they are a great effective filler in sun , shade and baskets -not very trendy but cheap and cheerful Due to the mildew it seems they will be as rare as hens teeth in a few years.

 

About time that this got a wee bump, so here are my blooming Impatiens at the moment.

The "new arrival" - Impatiens kilimanjari



Impatiens morsei, which is sulking as I'm making it grow outdoors!

 

Hi guys.

I have recently taken an interest in species Impatiens, I have Impatiens Morsei but it is proving difficult to grow, it is in a heated greenhouse, I added a pinch of dolomitic lime to the soil mix which seems to have stabilised the plant, does anyone have any tips on the best way to propagate this plant?

 

I.morsei is easy enough if grown as a house plant, although I have found it to be a magnet for RSM.
As far as propagating it I find it easy (even when the lower stem had collapsed and turned to mush through my overwatering. Any growing stem preferably at least 10mm in diameter will do. I prep the soil (50% multi purpose, the other 50% is vermiculite, perlite and grit in equal parts) at least 24hrs before taking the cutting. Water it through with boiling water and leave to drain for at least 24hrs. Make a clean cut with a sterile blade just below a leaf node, reduce the leaves to six at the most and put it into the soil to a depth of 15/20mm. Cover with a placcy bag and place in a light spot that is not in full sun.

My top tip is to never water from the top with this plant.

 

The trouble is that familiarity breeds contempt and these plants are very over-used, although the reason for that is that they are very good & reliable garden plants.

I would grow more busy lizzies - but I don't like the fact that they can mainly only be bought in mixtures with colours that don't always flatter each other and also that they are now bred to be horrid dumpy little things.

If there was a solid colour option, that would grow to about 18" with a graceful, natural habit, perhaps have a little bit of foliage interest, but thrive and produce a mass of intense (single) colour in a shady area from June to the first frosts I would have it like a shot.

For example, those New Guinea hybrids - lovely foliage, intense colour, but only sized for a houseplant or spotty council bedding. Do they spray them with growth retardants or is that how God intended them to be?

Great photos from PeterS, this will inspire me to buy some Impatiens species seeds.

 

Thanks longk, your advice is very helpful & appreciated

 

Surprised no one had mentioned Impatiens omeiana, the flowers aren't that special, but the foliage is arguably the most attractive out of all the Impatiens. I'm sure some members grow it in their gardens too.

 

I've tried to track it down in the past, but very rare and very expensive!

 

you can buy Impatiens Omeiana on Amazon if you are in the UK, priced 1 plant is £8.99

Two Impatiens with great foliage I would love to have are Impatiens claerii & Impatiens Marianae, the latter appears to be as rare as rocking horse(you know the rest)

 

I refuse to have anything to do with Amazon - it's bad enough that I resort to fleabay!

 

Fair enough

 

No offence intended!

 

Its all good

Has anyone had any success germinating Imp. namchabarwensis seed?