If you look up during the winter, when all the deciduous trees have dropped their leaves, you might spot something still growing up there, tucked in the bare branches.It might be mistletoe, that beautiful parasite that we smooc
06.06.2023 - 20:51 / gardenerspath.com / Kristine Lofgren
How to Grow and Care for New Guinea Impatiens Impatiens hawkeriImpatiens are incredibly, amazingly popular. I challenge you to walk into a nursery or home goods store during the spring or summer and not find at least one flat of them.
But these plants are primarily used in shaded areas, leaving sunny spots out of the game.
And then there’s the whole downy mildew situation. In some areas, it’s a matter of when, not if, your impatiens will be decimated by the rapidly-spreading disease.
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Enter New Guinea impatiens. They look similar to the species we’re familiar with, but they’re impervious to downy mildew.
Plus, they grow well in full sun. They look similar to one another, but the New Guinea species is larger overall, with larger leaves and flowers.
There’s much more to know about these floriferous marvels and we’ll discuss all the goods, coming up. Here’s what we have in store:
New guinea impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri) aren’t as common as their close relatives, ornamental impatiens (I. walleriana), but they’re rapidly gaining in popularity.
That’s because, as we mentioned, they’re resistant to the downy mildew menace that is decimating common impatiens.
But they also have larger flowers, bloom for a good long time, are self-cleaning, and can adapt to full sun or full shade, if given the water they need.
Cultivation and HistoryNew Guinea impatiens were introduced into the North American commercial market in 1972.
Since then, they’ve grown in popularity and have been used to hybridize with common impatiens to create sturdier plants.
As their name suggests, they originated in Papua New Guinea in hot, humid forests. People
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