Impatiens walleriana (Busy Lizzie)
A very spectacular plant, but must be grown in the shade. Although very low growing, it will produce a plant 40 cm in diameter covered in flowers throughout the cooler months. The colours are mainly red/ pink/ purple/ white.
The seeds are rather tricky and should be started in a closed plastic box (see section on Advanced growing procedures). After germination, they remain tricky to handle, until they form a young plant. It is thus better to find a nursery selling young plants! Theoretically, the plants will only die when the heat starts in April. However, each year I lose most of my plants to the caterpillars of the striped hawkmoth - a large black caterpillar that hides in the soil during the day and comes out at night. Unfortunately, if the growing tips are eaten, the plant cannot recover and, although surviving, will produce no more flowers. The other problem is that the stems are very brittle, so if the plant is sat upon by a toad (another problem I face), then the stem will snap and the plant will die.
Although it does well in large pots, it does even better in shaded soil and I grow it (as in photo) with coleus behind. The advantage of a pot is that if attacked by caterpillars, you can hold the pot upside down and shake vigorously so the caterpillars drop out on to the ground (and then get chopped in half with scissors).
The seeds are rather tricky and should be started in a closed plastic box (see section on Advanced growing procedures). After germination, they remain tricky to handle, until they form a young plant. It is thus better to find a nursery selling young plants! Theoretically, the plants will only die when the heat starts in April. However, each year I lose most of my plants to the caterpillars of the striped hawkmoth - a large black caterpillar that hides in the soil during the day and comes out at night. Unfortunately, if the growing tips are eaten, the plant cannot recover and, although surviving, will produce no more flowers. The other problem is that the stems are very brittle, so if the plant is sat upon by a toad (another problem I face), then the stem will snap and the plant will die.
Although it does well in large pots, it does even better in shaded soil and I grow it (as in photo) with coleus behind. The advantage of a pot is that if attacked by caterpillars, you can hold the pot upside down and shake vigorously so the caterpillars drop out on to the ground (and then get chopped in half with scissors).
2. Impatiens hawkeri (New Guinea impatiens) produces a taller plant with thinner leaves and more pointed flowers. It also needs shade and will die when the hot weather approaches.