The simple Impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) or common balsam as we know them, is flowering profusely in a myriad of colours. As children, we would fight to pinch the ripe seed pods, which would burst splattering the seeds around, to our utter delight. The amount of colour they bring to the garden is phenomenal and they are very easy to grow. It is the old reliable if you are stuck for colour in the shady nooks of the garden. The plants bloom in just about every colour except blue and are well suited to grow in containers or in the ground.
Impatiens are single-flowered balsams with five petals. The plant stems snap easily and so form small bushes rather than growing tall. Being perennial they propagate easily with seeds and are low maintenance. “I remember looking for the seed pods to burst and watch the little black seeds fly out in all directions,” recalls Michelle Cherian living on Hayes Road. “We would find them growing in all the other pots in the garden.”
Jacqueline Colaco, who lives in Cox Town says, “They are aptly named Impatiens, as they seem impatient, creeping into every pot in the garden. They were also called Bizzy Lizzy because they spread with great speed!” Rajani Chandrashekar from Koramangala says: “Smiling impatiens spreading joy with minimum care. Always one of my garden favorites.”
When you bring your impatiens home from the nursery, make sure that you keep them well watered until you get them in the ground, if they are not in pots. They are very sensitive to lack of water and the plants will wilt quickly. You can use impatiens flowers as bedding plants, border plants or they can be kept even in containers. They enjoy moist but well drained soil and are partial to deep shade. They do not do as well in full sun.
You can plant impatiens flowers quite close to one another, just inches apart if you like. The closer they are planted together, the faster the plants will grow to form a bank of lovely bright flowers. Once your Impatiens is in the ground, they will need to be watered everyday. Impatiens in containers will need watering daily too, but keep the watering to a minimum and make sure the container drains well. Stagnant water can cause the plant to rot and die. Impatiens can be persuaded to flower vigorously, if you use a water soluble fertilizer on them every two weeks.
