Photo credits and licenses
Real photographs from naturalists and photographers worldwide, each used under its own license. Credit: Photo by Carrie Seltzer / iNaturalist (CC BY) and Photo by Carrie Seltzer / iNaturalist (CC BY). How photos are sourced →
Impatiens
Impatiens walleriana
Impatiens blooms from May through October.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Impatiens
Plant it in full shade. It prefers high water. Expect it to reach about 12 in tall and 12 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year.
When to plant Impatiens
Wait until all danger of frost has passed, then plant out Impatiens into warm soil; in most zones that means late spring. Planted then, it flowers from May to October.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar.
Comes in 11 varieties across 5 colors
Same plant, same care - pick the color you are growing.
Good to know about Impatiens
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Worth knowing
The shade, steady moisture and dense planting that make impatiens thrive are the very conditions downy mildew loves, so smart spacing and base watering matter more than pampering it. per Wisconsin
Is classic impatiens worth planting?
Sources split: some call classic walleriana effectively gone from the trade after downy mildew, others still grow it, mainly the resistant Beacon and Imara series or where disease is absent. per Minnesota and Clemson
Downy mildew, the main threat
A water mold, Plasmopara obducens, yellows and curls the leaves, dusts white fuzz on their undersides, then strips the plant bare. Infected plants do not recover. per UMass
Swap in resistant kinds
New Guinea impatiens and its SunPatiens hybrids resist the disease and take more sun; the bred-resistant Beacon and Imara walleriana series bring the classic look back. per University of Maryland
Don't replant in infected soil
Its tough resting spores survive in the soil for years, so bag infected plants for the trash, never compost, and skip that bed a season or two. per UConn
No deadheading needed
It is self-cleaning: it drops its own spent flowers and keeps blooming all season, so you never have to deadhead. An early pinch just makes it bushier. per Illinois
What pairs well with Impatiens
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Hellebore
Takes part shade to full shade and moderate to high water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Summersweet
Takes part shade to full shade and high water; both offer pollinator forage; taller at 5.9 ft, for the layer behind it; a soft color beside the pink.
Azalea
Takes part shade to full shade and moderate to high water; opens in mid spring and overlaps into this one's season; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 3.9 ft, for the layer behind it.
Camellia
Takes part shade to full shade and moderate to high water; blooms in midwinter, before this one opens; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; stands well above at 6.6 ft, a canopy to plant beneath.
Solomon's Seal
Takes part shade to full shade and moderate to high water; a soft color beside the pink.
Primrose
Takes part shade to full shade and moderate to high water; opens in early spring and overlaps into this one's season; lower at 8 in, for the front of the border.
Northern Sea Oats
Takes part shade to full shade and moderate to high water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 3.3 ft, for the layer behind it.
Christmas Fern
Shares full shade and moderate to high water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Featured in these guides
Explore similar plants
You might also like
Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.