Growing Impatiens in Pots is an easy way to fill your shady container garden with vibrant flowers that never cease to end blooming.
Impatiens not only delight you with their flowers, but they also are perfect plants to boost the confidence of new gardeners, thanks to their ease of maintainance and growing nature. Go through the article and learn all about Caring for and Growing Impatiens in Pots.
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Best Varieties of Impatiens
Impatiens offer bright-colored flowers in a variety of colors, thanks to their many varieties:
- Big Bounce Red: Offers a beautiful array of red flowers. Perfect for small pots and like bounce series impatiens, it’s resistant to mildew.
- Fiesta Ole Peppermint: If you are a fan of pink blossoms, you’ll love this.
- Fiesta Ole Purple Stripe: Impatiens cannot get more beautiful than this! It has a charming combo of pink and white shades in its flowers.
- Fiesta White: Perfect for hanging baskets; it has beautiful white blossoms.
- Infinity Orange: Love orange? Go for this one!
- Fiesta Salsa Red: Want roses in the shade? This offers rose-like flowers in a gleaming red color.
Choosing a Pot
Impatiens are compact plants and have a shallow root system, which is why they don’t need a big pot. In general, a small 8 inches deep and wide pot is fine for one or two impatiens plants.
Depending more on the varieties, for example, Showstoppers, Blitz, and Dazzlers, you can even grow one plant in a small 6 inches pot and it will bloom incessantly.
If you want to grow 3 plants together, go for a large 12 to 14 inches wide pot. Impatiens are also perfect plants for shade plant arrangements, windowboxes, and hanging baskets.
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How to Grow Impatiens in Pots?
Planting Time
The best time to plant impatiens is anytime when the weather is warm, especially after the last spring frost. April is the perfect time to commence planting when all the frost predictions or chilly nights have passed, and the soil temperature is warming up. You can have them till fall until the weather starts getting cold for winter.
After planting impatiens, pinch the top tips to make them bushier when they are young.
If you live in a warm climate USDA Zones 9b to 11, where impatiens are perennial, keep growing them year-round.
Propagation
Impatiens plants can be grown from seeds or cuttings or better buy some transplants from your nearby garden center.
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Requirements for Growing Impatiens in Pots
Location
Impatiens are prized to flourish in the shade. You can plant them in partial shade as well. A location that receives several hours of mild morning sun and bright shade for the rest of the day is ideal.
Soil
Since impatiens require moist soil it is important to provide them well-draining soil rich in organic matter and slightly acidic in nature. You can get a soilless potting mix or any other growing medium you would be using for other annuals. Or, make your own potting medium, following the recipes here.
Water
This flowering plant doesn’t prefer to be in dry soil, so keep the soil moist by watering deeply at regular intervals, but avoid making it soggy. Use the moisture meter or feel the saturation level with your finger by poking the topsoil before watering again. If growing impatiens in an area with hot summer, you may need to water it daily.
Temperature
Impatiens prefer a warm climate and do exceptionally well in temperatures above 60 F (15 C). They like mild winters and grow as a perennial in USDA Zones 10 and 11 and in other frost-free parts of the world with a similar climate. They die if the temperature drops below 32 F (0 C).
Impatiens Care
Fertilizer
Feed the plant once in every 15 days with any balanced, water-soluble fertilizer with equal NPK, and it will keep blooming happily. You can also apply compost or slow-release fertilizer twice during the growing period.
Pruning & Deadheading
It is unnecessary to prune impatiens unless they’re leggy and not blooming. You can remove dried, damaged, and dead leaves regularly. Snip off tall and leggy parts to encourage new growth.
If you are noticing fewer flowers and leggy plants, just remove one-third of their top growth, and they will bloom profusely again.
Impatiens are one of the plants that don’t require deadheading but still removing the wilted blooms is going to help the plants look full and healthy with flowers.
Pests and Diseases
Be careful about thrips, whiteflies, aphids, mites, and slugs when it comes to pests and insects. Because it is susceptible to many diseases, choose impatiens varieties that are disease-resistant. Also, keep the plant well-watered to prevent it from wilting.
