How to grow Impatiens

Choosing the right Impatiens for you

There are several commonly grown Impatiens; the type you choose will depend on where you want to grow it and how long you intend to keep individual plants for.

For summer borders and containers:

• In part to full shade, cultivars of Impatiens walleriana (busy Lizzie), or I. hawkeri (New Guinea hybrids) grow well. These are compact in habit and grow up to 50cm tall
• For something taller, up to 75cm, consider growing I. balsamina
• Some cultivars grow well in full sun, such as the SunPatiens and Sun Harmony series. They flower from early summer to autumn

For growing as houseplants:

• I. hawkeri(New Guinea hybrids) thrive in bright but indirect light indoors, often flowering year-round. Their leaves are sometimes variegated
  

  Variegated means having leaves or other plant parts with streaks, blotches or patches of different colours. Typically, these would be a combination of two colours, such as green and gold or green and white.

  or have reddish-purple tints, adding further interest
• For something unsual try I. niamniamensis(parrot plant) with dramatic hanging yellow and red flowers

For outdoors year-round:

• Grow hardy species like I. argutaand I. stenantha in a sheltered shady position
• I. tinctoriawill survive outdoors in sheltered areas if protected with a winter mulch
  

  Mulch is a layer of material, at least 5cm (2in) thick, applied to the soil surface in late autumn to late winter (Nov-Feb). It is used to provide frost protection, improve plant growth by adding nutrients or increasing organic matter content, reducing water loss from the soil, for decorative purposes and suppressing weeds. Examples include well-rotted garden compost and manure, chipped bark, gravel, grit and slate chippings.

Buying

• Impatiens for seasonal colour ( bedding plants
  

  Bedding plants are usually colourful half-hardy, short-lived or annual plants, grown for displays in beds or containers. They may be changed seasonally, with spring, summer and winter bedding displays each using different plants of appropriate hardiness and flowering times.

  ) are widely available in multi-plant trays or individual pots from most garden centres, nurseries and some supermarkets in late spring
• Growing plants from seed may provide you with greater choice in terms of colour and variety
• Cultivars of Impatiens hawkeri (New Guinea hybrids) and I. niamniamensis (parrot plant) are commonly grown as houseplants. You may find these sold alongside other houseplants in garden centres, but those sold as bedding plants will also grow indoors
• Hardy cultivars of Impatiens are less frequently sold in garden centres. You may need to source these online from a specialist nursery – search RHS Find a Plant here

RHS guide to buying garden centre plants

RHS guide to buying mail order plants

Impatiens grown as summer bedding plants

Bedding plants are usually colourful half-hardy, short-lived or annual plants, grown for displays in beds or containers. They may be changed seasonally, with spring, summer and winter bedding displays each using different plants of appropriate hardiness and flowering times.

are killed by frost and set back by low temperatures, so plant them outdoors when nighttime temperatures are above 7°C, usually in late May or early June. Harden off young plants, to acclimatise them to outdoor conditions, before planting them out. How you plant your Impatiens depends on where you want to grow them.

In containers

Impatiens make a long-lasting summer display of flowers in pots, hanging baskets and window boxes. They are especially useful for areas that are shaded, or only get morning or late afternoon sun. A peat-free multi-purpose compost is suitable for growing Impatiens in containers outdoors and indoors.

In borders

You can plant tender cultivars into beds and borders as part of a summer bedding display, or use them to fill in gaps around or under permanent planting. Hardy cultivars are best planted in late spring in a sheltered spot. Impatiens grow well in most garden soils, but if you have light, poor soil, add one bucketful of well-rotted organic matter per square metre/yard, before planting.

Perennials: planting

How to plant a hanging basket

RHS Guide to bedding and displays

RHS guide to planting up containers

Impatiens need very little regular maintenance after planting but to keep plants happy and healthy see our advice below.

Watering

• Keep compost
  

  Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost:

  
  • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

  or soil moist (not soggy) and don't allow your plants to dry out entirely
• Water houseplants freely during spring and summer, but reduce watering in winter, keeping compost just moist

Collecting, storing and reusing water

Watering

Deadheading

• You don't usually need to deadhead your plants (unless they form lots of seedpods), but removing faded flowers keeps plants looking tidy

Deadheading plants

Feeding

• Plants growing in containers can be fed with an organic-based liquid seaweed fertiliser as per the instructions on the label
• Adding garden compost or any well rotted organic matter when planting into a border should provide sufficient nutrients
  

  To grow well, plants need a wide range of nutrients in various amounts, depending on the individual plant and its stage of growth. The three key nutrients usually taken up from the soil are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Plants also need carbon, oxygen and hydrogen to make carbohydrates — their main energy source. Carbon and oxygen come from the air as carbon dioxide, while hydrogen is drawn from water absorbed by the roots. Other important soil nutrients include magnesium, calcium and sulphur. Most garden soils contain enough of these nutrients to support healthy plant growth.

  for good plant growth. If plants start to show signs of poor growth or nutrient deficiencies then see our feeding plants page for more information
• Houseplants can be fed with a housplant feed from March to October, as per the instructions on the label

Nutrient deficiencies

RHS guide to feeding plants

Overwintering

• Impatiens grown for seasonal summer colour, in bedding and container displays, are tender perennials and are usually dug up and composted at the end of the growing season
  

  The period of time when an individual plant is in active growth. This will depend on the local climate and light levels, and can vary between different plants, although it is broadly from spring to autumn.

  in early autumn
• If you wish to take cuttings
  

  A method of growing new plants from parts of an existing plant, such as sections of root, stem, leaf or bud. When prepared correctly and planted in the right conditions, they can produce roots and eventually become independent plants. There is a wide range of different methods for taking cuttings, depending on the plant and time of year.

  , rather than buying new plants next year, pot up your plants and bring them into a greenhouse or conservatory with a minimum temperature of 10°C
• You can treat tender perennial
  

  Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.

  species, such as Impatiens tinctoria, like dahlias by lifting or mulching
• Hardy cultivars will survive outdoors in a sheltered position

RHS guide to overwintering tender plants

RHS guide to the risks of frost damage

Impatiens are naturally bushy plants, so you don't need to do much pruning. However, if they become leggy (with elongated bare stems), pinching or snipping out the tops of stems often encourages new growth from lower down.

The two main methods of propagating Impatiens are by seed and by cuttings

A method of growing new plants from parts of an existing plant, such as sections of root, stem, leaf or bud. When prepared correctly and planted in the right conditions, they can produce roots and eventually become independent plants. There is a wide range of different methods for taking cuttings, depending on the plant and time of year.

.

Seed

Sow collected (or bought) seed undercover in spring. Sow into modular seed trays filled with moistened peat-free seed compost

Seed compost is a free-draining compost formulated for germinating seed. It often contains a mix of fine materials including sterilised loam, coir, coarse sand or grit. It contains low levels of nutrients, as high levels could damage seedlings.

. Place a couple of seeds into each cell and cover with a light dusting of sieved compost

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost:

• Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

. Cover with a plastic lid and place in a bright spot at 18 - 20°C. After germination

Germination is the process by which a seed develops into a new plant. It starts with the seed coat absorbing water, expanding and splitting, which allows oxygen and water into the seed so its food reserves can be broken down and used by the embryo for growth. The first root (called the radicle) pushes into the soil to anchor the new plant in place and start absorbing water and nutrients. The first shoot (called the plumule) then grows upwards, out of the soil, towards the light.

, which can take two to three weeks, keep seedlings

A seedling is a young plant grown from seed.

in a frost-free place, such as a greenhouse or windowsill, in good light but out of direct sunlight.

How to sow seeds indoors

How to use peat-free compost: for seeds and cuttings

Cuttings

Impatiens root easily from softwood cuttings

Softwood cuttings are taken from spring to early summer (Apr-Jun), using material from the soft and flexible young shoot tips from this seasons growth, which root readily. Use for hardy and tender perennials, deciduous shrubs, climbers and some trees.

taken in spring from overwintered or bought plants. Cuttings taken in early spring should be ready to plant outside in early summer. Stem cuttings will also root by removing the lower leaves and immersing the bottom couple of centimetres in water.

Cuttings: softwood

Please be aware that some Impatiens are protected by Plant Breeder’s Rights, and you are not allowed to propagate them for sale.

Impatiens are generally easy plants to grow, but may sometimes suffer from the problems listed below:

• Damping off is a fungal pathogen that causes withering of seedlings
  

  A seedling is a young plant grown from seed.

  . Try to keep compost
  

  Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost:

  
  • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

  moist but not soggy. Sow into fresh peat-free seed compost and use tap water when watering seedlings
• Impatiens downy mildew affects cultivars of Impatiens walleriana (busy Lizzie) causing yellowing and rapid defoliation of plants. Dispose of affected plants. Raising from seed may reduce occurences, but spores can persist in gardens where affected plants were previously grown. Some resistant cultivars are available. I. hawkeri cultivars (New Guinea hybrids) are not affected
• Grey mould (Botrytis) appears as a furry grey-brown growth on buds, flowers and leaves. High humidity
  

  The concentration of water vapour in the atmosphere. This affects the rate at which plants transpire (lose water from their leaf pores), which in turn affects how much water their roots absorb from the soil. If air humidity is low, plants transpire quickly and become at risk of wilting if water is lost from the leaves faster than it can be absorbed by the roots. Different plants require different levels of humidity to thrive. Many tropical houseplants need high humidity and are best grown in a steamy bathroom, misted regularly or placed on a saucer of damp pebbles. In a greenhouse, humidity can be raised in hot weather by damping down (wetting) the floor or overhead misting.

  encourages its spread. Remove affected growth when seen. Overcrowding of plants is sometimes a factor, so increasing planting distance can help
• Vine weevil larvae can chew the fleshy roots of Impatiens. Plants in containers are particularly vulnerable if vine weevil larvae are in the compost. Adult beetles (which lay eggs) can be removed by hand. Biological control, in the form of nematodes, is effective against the larvae
• Glasshouse red spider mite can affect houseplants, and plants outside in hot dry weather
• Aphids may feed on the sap
  

  Sap is a fluid that circulates through a plant's vascular system, in a similar way to blood moving through our veins. Phloem sap carries the sugars produced in the leaves by photosynthesis down to roots and other storage organs, as well as carrying minerals and hormones. Xylem sap is watery and transports nutrients absorbed by the roots upwards to the rest of the plant. Some plants leak sap from wounds or pruning cuts, and this is known as bleeding.

  of plants, particularly on young soft growth

If you are a member of the RHS, you can use our online Gardening Advice Service to help identify problems and get advice on ways to improve the growth of your plants.