New Guinea impatiens bloom abundantly in any sunny garden area. New Guinea impatiens, like their shade-loving cousins, the common create tiny clumps of leaves with colorful spreading flowers. These quick growers will begin to bloom early in the season if planted soon after the last frost danger, and some kinds will continue far into autumn if planted just after the final frost threat. Gardeners looking for a low-maintenance, high-performance seasonal display might consider New Guinea impatiens.
History
New Guinea impatience were used. Brought to Europe in 1886 and quickly became popular. Begonia mite infestations had nearly eliminated them from cultivation by the turn of the century (Hooker 1909).
New Guinea Impatiens
New Guinea impatiens is a tropical plant native to New Guinea that arrived in the United States in 1970.
These annuals have succulent stems and lovely leaves that serve as a background for enormous, colorful flowers. New Guineas have a wide range of leaf colors, from variegated to green with golden or purple highlights.
New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri) blooms are a larger variant of ordinary impatiens flowers. The gorgeous blooms have five slightly overlapping petals organized around a small, button-like center. They come in various vibrant colors, from pink and white to lavender and orange. Impatiens also feature a nectar-filled flower spur, making them a favorite of pollinators such as moths and butterflies.
New Guinea Impatiens Plant Overview
Genus Name: Impatiens
Common Name: New Guinea Impatiens
Plant Type: Annual
Light: Sun, Shade, and Part Sun
Height: between 12 and 15 inches
Width: Around 12 to 15 inches
Flower Color: Colors include orange, pink, purple, red, and white.
Foliage Color: Blue and green, chartreuse and gold, and purple and burgundy
Season Features: Autumn bloom, spring bloom, and summer bloom
Special Features: Low Maintenance for Containers
Propagation: Seeds and stem cuttings
Types Of New Guinea Impatiens Plant
‘Celebration Bright Salmon’: It boasts beautiful dark-green foliage and salmon-pink blossoms. It grows swiftly and averages 16 inches in height.
‘Celebration Blush Pink‘: It features enormous pink blossoms that beautifully contrast with the dark foliage hue. This potent variety reaches a height of 16 inches.
‘Applause Orange Blaze’: This has foliage that is variegated and blossoms that are bright orange. It can withstand colder nights since it is more resistant to freezing than many other sorts. When fully grown, plants are 1 foot tall and 1 foot wide.
‘Celebration Raspberry Rose’: The enormous raspberry-pink blooms on dark green pointed foliage of ‘Celebration Raspberry Rose’ stand out. It achieves a height of 16 inches.
‘Celebration Orange’: With its beautiful orange blossoms atop dark green leaves, ”Celebration Orange” stands out. It forms a mound that grows to be 16 inches tall.
‘Celebration Lavender Glow’: Huge, lavender-pink blossoms with dark green leaves cover the plant known as “Celebration Lavender Glow.” It gradually increases in height until it reaches 16 inches.
‘Infinity Lavender’: The shade-loving ‘Infinity Lavender’ has massive lavender-purple blooms. It blooms throughout the summer and fall and develops to be 14 inches tall and broad.
‘Celebrette Deep Red’: Over dark green plants, ‘Celebrette Deep Red’ blooms beautiful red flowers that attract birds. This tiny cultivar grows to a height of 10 inches.
‘Celebrette Purple Stripe’: ”It has big purple flowers with white streaks. This small font stands only 10 inches tall.
‘Painted Paradise Pink’: On a small 14-inch-tall plant, ‘Painted Paradise Pink’ displays pink blooms over variegated foliage. It’s famous for its eye-catching leaves, brightening an autumn garden.
Which Season Can You Grow New Guinea, Impatiens Plant?
Planting New Guinea impatiens outside in late April is ideal.
How To Grow New Guinea, Impatiens Plant
The best time to plant New Guinea impatiens outside is in late April. Identify the anticipated date of your last spring frost and plan to plant two weeks later. When planting these annuals in gardens, space them apart by the same amount as the mature plants’ width. (Vigorous varieties may need a bit more space.) Make a hole twice the size of the root ball. When planting, amend the soil with compost and apply a slow-release fertilizer.
Plant your New Guineas during the more fantastic hours of the day, and give them a good watering right after you put them in the ground. Cover around the plants to decrease water loss during the hot summer months.
New Guinea Impatiens Care
New Guinea impatiens are sensitive to their environment because they are particular about the quantity of nitrogen in the soil and how much water they receive. But the reward is huge: given the right care, these plants will blossom into a magnificent display of tropical flowers.
Pruning
Pulling the ends of branches while the plant is young might assist in steering development into a more beautiful form. Impatienses that are lanky can also be clipped to a leaf node, but only up to 6 inches at a time. Although New Guinea impatienses drop their petals organically, removing them throughout the season will encourage flowering into the autumn. This cleaning is also helpful in preventing the formation of Botrytis fungal mold, which can form on dead flowers. Simply pinch the stem back, just above the first leaf pair, to eliminate wasted flowers. If you have planted impatiens, shaking the container may cause old flowers to break off.
Propagation
The majority of cultivars are propagated through plant cuttings. Before cutting 2 to 3 inches from the tip of a healthy-looking stem, clean your garden shears with alcohol. Remove all the leaves, excluding the top two. The cutting should be placed in wet potting soil, and if possible, the bottom of the container should be heated with a waterproof heat pad designed for plants. The majority of impatiens in New Guinea is sterile hybrids that cannot be grown from seed. Some varieties, like the Java and Divine series, may have done so, but it took work. Propagation of the variants can be limited if they are patented.
Grow your New Guineas within approximately 10 to 12 weeks before you intend to transplant them outside (about 2 weeks after the last spring frost). Put a starter tray halfway with a seed-starting combine, and then fill each compartment with a pair of seeds. Because New Guineas require sunshine for germination, only gently cover the bases with dirt. Cover the tray with plastic after spraying the seeds. Please place it in a sunny location, moisten the soil, and replace the plastic after the seedlings have two leaves. Allow the young plants to mature indoors until the weather warms up enough to bring them outdoors.
Soil
New Guinea impatiens like a slightly acidic soil pH, in the range of 6.0 to 6.5, but are not overly picky. The blooms require soil with adequate drainage that retains moisture long enough for the roots to absorb. Because New Guinea impatienses are strong eaters, improve the soil with plenty of organic material before planting. Give your flowers a healthy sip of water after they’re in the ground to assist them in establishing themselves.
Water
New Guinea impatiens flourishes when watered on a regular schedule. If you leave them moist for a lengthy period, they start to stop flowering and may die. Although New Guinea impatienses are not drought-flexible, sustained damp soil conditions might cause their crowns to decay. If at all feasible, water them from the bottom instead and use a drip hose.
Fertilizer
Impatiens from New Guinea do not require a lot of fertilizer. Simply apply a slow-release fertilizer to the soil before planting them in a flowerbed, and you should not need to fertilize again. A biweekly application of water-soluble fertilizer is beneficial for container plants in the backyard.
Light
New Guinea impatienses flourish in partial shade (between 2 and 6 hours of sunshine daily). They thrive in the early light, midday shade, and eastern exposure. However, these tropical beauties can survive both shades and full sunlight should be noted that too much sunshine, especially when paired with heat, may increase their water requirements, may injure the leaves, and may restrict the size and quantity of blooms.
Temperature And Humidity
It should be noted that excessive sunlight, particularly when combined with heat, may raise their water needs, harm their leaves, and limit the size and number of blooms.
They flourish in climates with daytime temperatures of 70 to 85 °F and nighttime temperatures of 55 to 65 °F. They will stop producing new blossoms when the nighttime temperature is 70 °F or above. High humidity is beneficial to New Guinea plants because it reduces water loss via the leaves.
Pests And Dieses
New Guinea impatiens, luckily, are resistant to downy mildew, which might quickly wipe out other impatiens varieties. Typical garden pests like aphids, thrips, caterpillars, and spider mites can enter New Guineas, although they are usually pest-free. While these tropical plants desire a lot of water, they are also prone to bacterial root rot. This can happen in poorly drained soil or containers without a drainage hole.
Common Problem With New Guinea Impatiens Plant
Like other types of flowers, New Guinea impatienses are susceptible to overheating, and the ailment border necrosis. Although brown necrosis spots on leaves can be unsightly, they are not harmful. Making sure the planting area receives enough color is the easiest approach to avoid this.
Conclusion
They are generally plants that like shade and hydration. Impatiens demand healthy, well-drained soil with a high organic matter content. They shouldn’t be put outside immediately away since they are quite susceptible to cold. Common flower colors include white, red, pink, violet, coral, purple, and yellow.