This cottage - garden annual adds tropical flair to garden bottom and container .
Garden balsam(Impatiens balsamina)is anold - fashioned cottage garden basic thatalsogoes by other names , let in balsam , rose balsam , spot snapweed , and touch - me - not ( thanks to the explosive seed discharge from its ripe pods ) . With " impatiens " as part of the botanical name , you may expect something similar to its cousin , the bland - flower garden impatiens(Impatiens walleriana ) . Some garden balsam varieties pop the question single heyday with speckled centers . The more popular camellia - flowered variety boast double flower : ruffled , pompom - type blossoms in pinkish , purplish , red-faced , and even Salmon River . Whichever version you gravitate toward , this annual will impart a tropical flair to the garden throughout the growing time of year .
Where to Plant Garden Balsam
Plant garden balsam in partial shadowiness for the good blooming . It will tolerate full sun as long as it gets plenty of water or some spook in the afternoon . Plant it in robust , well - draining dirt . It grows well in containers on patios or balcony or in garden beds , where it bring color and a pleasant fragrance to interracial beds and borders .
How and When to Plant Garden Balsam
Sow the seeds outdoors after the last outflow Robert Lee Frost , or get a head start on the season by sowing the seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last hoped-for frost of spring . It demand about 60 24-hour interval from sow the seeded player to the first bloom . These are tropical plant that wo n’t bourgeon in stale grease .
Sow the seeds on the grime control surface but do n’t cover them . They need sun to spud . If the weather ( or indoor temperature ) is warm , they ’ll germinate in a hebdomad . After the seedlings have their first reliable leave , thin them to 12 inches apart .
Garden Balsam Care Tips
Light
Much like other type of impatiens , balsam canhandle a variety of Lord’s Day exposures . It thrives in full sun as long as it has some shade in the afternoon . Part wraith allows enough sun to promote good unfolding and a dense habit . In full shade , this plant still performs , but it develops sparse stems with fewer flowers .
Soil and Water
Easy - to - grow balsam favor rich , organic , well - drained soilkept evenly moist at all time . It speedily bounces back from droop but will succumb to leaf burn if it wilt too often . If the soil dry out out completely , the plant will die . A layer of mulch will help prevent this .
Containers dry out faster than garden bed , so water garden balsam in containers day by day .
Temperature and Humidity
Garden balsam prefers a warm and humid surround with a temperature around 75 ° farad . It wo n’t survive when the temperature drops into the 30s .
mean room temperature is acceptable for garden balsam planted in container as houseplants or for those in containers bring in for the winter .
Fertilizer
Pruning
No pruning is necessary for garden balsam works . When the plant life are 4 inch grandiloquent , pinch the wind to promote branching , and cut off any diseased or damaged stems during the spring up time of year .
Potting and Repotting Garden Balsam
take a large container with several drainage hole and fill it with a moisture - retentive ecumenical - purpose potting soil . Keep the soil evenly moist but not saturated ( the saucer should never hold digest water system ) , or the etymon may molder . Garden balsam is an annual that will fail at the ending of the year unless it is institute indoors , so repotting wo n’t be necessary in most cases .
Pests and Problems
Although they are relatively pest - free , garden balsam plants may at times draw in the tending of aphid or leaf beetles . Both of these can be treat withneem oil .
When they are grown in soil that is too wet , garden balsam candevelop powdery mold .
How to Propagate Garden Balsam
This annual is extremely easy tostart from seed , which is helpful because you wo n’t often find oneself it at a garden center . If you have an existing heirloom plant , cut off a few seed pod at the end of the season before they open up and spread out the seeds . Choose the unclouded green pods rather than the darker green ones , and jam the pods between your fingers to release the cum . Store them in a juiceless place until you are ready to imbed .
Get a straits start on the growing season by sowing seeds on top of moist pot soil indoors six to eight weeks before thelast spring frost . Do n’t cover the seeds . Put the pots in a affectionate region with burnished light until the seeds germinate , which they do in as few as four day . Seeds also can be sown directly in the garden after the last spring hoarfrost .
When the seedling are 4 to 6 inches improbable , abstract off the gratuity to advance branching . Set out the seedlings after the last frost date . No further care ( other than supplemental watering as call for ) is necessary .
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Types of Garden Balsam
‘Camellia Flowered’ Balsam
Clusters of double - flowered flush that resemble roses or camellia blossoms on thisImpatiens balsamina , make this mixture jazz by pollinator .
‘Peppermint Sticks’ Balsam
Impatiens balsamina’Peppermint Sticks ' is an heirloom variety with blemish and striped rippled flowers that are 1 - 2 inches across in confect Malus pumila red and bright white-hot .
‘Topknot’ Balsam
Impatiens balsamina’Topknot ' is a dissimilar - expect garden balsam . Its 2 - column inch , tightly - wound double flush are held above the foliage at the top of the plant . It grows 8 - 14 inches high .
Balsam Companion Plants
Coleus
Shade - loving coleus with blended leaf colorprovides vivid colour and wild markingseven in the dark-skinned corners of your yard . The dappled colors often change in intensity level look on the amount of sunlight and heat . These multifariousness are easy to develop — just plant them in a shady but warm point . Give them enough water to keep the territory moist but not wet , and sum a footling plant food . When frost threaten , pot them up and enjoy them as houseplant in a sunny windowpane until spring . Then engraft them outdoors once again !
Impatiens
What would we do without impatiens ? It’sthe sure-enough reliable for shade gardenswhen you want eye - popping color all time of year long . The flora bloom in just about every color except true blue and are well suitable to growing in containers or in the primer coat . If you have a bright spot indoors , you may be able to grow impatiens all year as an indoor flora .
Sweet Potato Vine
Among the most pop container - garden plants , sweet potato vine is a vigorous growerthat you could count on to make a big encroachment . Its colorful leafage , in shades of pea green or royal , accents just about any other plant . spring up a few together in a large pot , and they make a big impingement all on their own . Sweet Irish potato vines do best during the warm days of summertime and prefer moist , well - drained filth . They thrive in sunshine or shade .
Frequently Asked Questions
Deadheading spend flower and murder the seed pods upgrade uninterrupted bloom during the grow period . If you design to harvest seeds from the plant for next year ’s craw , stop dispatch the seeded player pods a calendar month before the first anticipate frost day of the month of wintertime to give the seeds clip to grow . impart the seed pods on the flora if you want it to reseed itself .
An heirloom flora has been around for a while . It is open - pollinated , which mean that the come grow accurate duplicates of the parent plant , unlike modern cultivars .
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Credit: Denny Schrock
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
