[joyce c]

It's my 2nd year of planting this colourful bedding plants.  And it looks like it's my 2nd year of failure.  I've a south facing garden.  Have bought plugs from various sources, and used various compost/soil.  I'm now telling myself "no more Impatiens"  Any clues as to why I fail.

[SnooziSuzi]

Busy Lizzies are rather tender, due to their fleshy stems...   when are you putting them out?

If it's now then I would have thought it's a tad too early as we still get frosts until late May.

Where did you get the plants from?

[Trillium]

Not sure, but if your impatiens are like ours, they are shade lovers and don't do well in full sun. You might see some in supposedly full sun gardens but if you look closely, you'll find they're soon shaded by taller plants as the sun moves around. They're also very frost and cold sensitive. In growing seasons, they need regular feeding to keep up their show. Every week or two with a general 20-20-20 should do the trick.

[celjaci]

Agree they need feeding later to prolong flowering but find the opposite as seedlings/plugs. When pricked out to pots or larger modules they tend to be sensitive to high nutrient compost and often sit still and sulk for weeks untill compost is leached of nutrients. Try diluting compost with straight coir or similar

[DD.]

I've modified the topic to correct the speeling ( ) from Impatients to Impatiens.

This is not intended to be "English Teacher" mode, but anyone doing a topic search on "Impatiens" would not have found these posts.

[richyrich7]

I've modified the topic to correct the speeling ( ) from Impatients to Impatiens.

This is not intended to be "English Teacher" mode, but anyone doing a topic search on "Impatiens" would not have found these posts.

You missed one 

I agree with all the advice given above they are a very soft plant and get hit hard by frosts, also are susceptible to fungi and aphid attack. And like Trillium says they do like a bit of shade.  perhaps you would be better looking for something more suitable, petunias, verbena, lobelia and pelargoniums spring to mind, 

[DD.]

You missed one 

Better?

[richyrich7]

You missed one 

Better?

Yep 

[Debz]

I have tried to grow them from seed and from plugs and find them to be one of the stroppiest plants to get going.  They sulk constantly and even if they grow a little bit, a variation in temperature or watering kills them.  I find they are too high maintenance to bother with.

[mrs bouquet]

I seem to have always been lucky with mine, but I only use them in shaded beds, or in tubs in dark corners, where they reallly show off, especially the white flowers.  When mine get a bit leggy, I just pinch them back abit.  But mine aren't planted out yet !, 
Mrs Bouquet

[joyce c]

I've modified the topic to correct the speeling ( ) from Impatients to Impatiens.

This is not intended to be "English Teacher" mode, but anyone doing a topic search on "Impatiens" would not have found these posts.

Thanks for the spelling correction.  I started this topic, so take the blame completely.    Now I'm going to be really pushy and ask another..........Why does this plant sometimes referred to as IMPATIENS,  then other times as Busy Lizzie.  Are they definately one and the same plant.

[Parsnip]

I've modified the topic to correct the speeling ( ) from Impatients to Impatiens.

This is not intended to be "English Teacher" mode, but anyone doing a topic search on "Impatiens" would not have found these posts.

Thanks for the spelling correction.  I started this topic, so take the blame completely.    Now I'm going to be really pushy and ask another..........Why does this plant sometimes referred to as IMPATIENS,  then other times as Busy Lizzie.  Are they definately one and the same plant.

They are definitely the same thing Joyce. Busy lizzie is the, for want of a better term " slang" word for impatiens

[DD.]

Much the same vein as "Antirrhinum" & "Snap Dragon". It's easier to spell. (I cheated & used a spell checker!).

[Stripey_cat]

They are definitely the same thing Joyce. Busy lizzie is the, for want of a better term " slang" word for impatiens

Common name!  I've also heard balsam.  Impatiens walleriana is the species that your normal bedding cultivars are bred from.  It's heading for the point that impatiens is becoming a common name in it's own right (if they were to move the genus, like they did for geranium/pelargonium, I think a lot of us would still call them impatiens).

Out of interest, who says im-pat-i-ens, and who says im-pay-shuns?  I've heard both, and am wondering what the distribution is.

[SnooziSuzi]

Out of interest, who says im-pat-i-ens, and who says im-pay-shuns?  I've heard both, and am wondering what the distribution is.

Well, according to MSN Encarta:

im·pa·tiens [ im páysh'nz, im páysh'nss ] (plural im·pa·tiens)


noun
Definition:
 
low-growing many-flowered garden plant: a cultivated species of the balsam family, popular as a houseplant and garden plant. Flowers: multicolored. Latin name Impatiens balsamina.

[Late 18th century. Via modern Latin< Latin, stem impatient-; because its capsules tend to burst open when touched]

Click here to go to their site and hear it being pronounced (click the button)