Impatiens Walleriana Buzzie Lizzie Flower Plant
BUSY LIZZIE
In regions where there are no frosts, busy lizzies grow into shrubs about 3 ft.4 in tall. A row of these plants forms a long and richly flowering hedge, thus creating a very festive appearance. Why, then, do those engaged in improving cultivated varieties always go to such pains to select the very smallest plants? In bad weather, the rain splashes the soil up against the underside of leaves and flowers and, if they remain wet for more than a few hours, glassy spots will appear on them and subsequently become slimy.
No wonder that busy lizzies are most popular as indoor plants. They grow taller indoors and, provided the plant-lover waters the soil and not the leaves, the foliage will look good for a long time. On a light windowsill, they will go on flowering over a long period. Still, busy lizzies may also flower well in a garden. They are very suitable for containers and hanging baskets, and will also thrive in flower-beds in dry summers. Lengthy wet spells are the greatest problem, so you should always put them in a place where a gentle breeze will dry them off again. Sunlight is not required at all and, in fact, the plants do well in a light position in the shade. The color of the flowers also remains better in those conditions, whereas they would fade in bright sunlight.
The stems and foliage are very lax and watery, and break off easily in strong wind or driving rain. Although drying winds will do the plants good out-of-doors, they suffer badly on windy balconies and other draughty places.
Most keen gardeners buy busy lizzies and then leave them to the mercy of the elements in autumn. After the first frost, they will have disappeared. It is possible to sow them yourself, but not easy. The seed requires light, and therefore needs very little cover, if any. It is also very sensitive to drying out. So always cover the propagator with glass or plastic and stand it in a light position, but not in full sunlight. The seeds germinate best at temperatures between 68 °F and 77 °F. That, though, means fairly warm conditions which also encourage fungi, and the danger of grey mold is therefore very real. One of the effects of this disease is that seedlings dissolve at the base and topple over. There are two important steps you can take to reduce the danger of grey mould: always use new or clean pots and trays and fill them with special seed compost or other soil that has been sterilized. Secondly, once the seed has germinated, the humidity should be reduced. Allow fresh air in as soon as possible and increase the size of the opening during the next few days until the cover can be left off altogether. Reduce the temperature to 59-64 °F. As soon as the seedlings are over ‘/2 in high, they may be pricked out and grown on at moderate temperatures. The critical phase is now past. Put the plants out-of-doors during the daytime from early May to harden them off, and bring them indoors again in the evening. They may be planted out-of-doors by the end of May. The various seed merchants for commercial growers have developed their own series, the main difference between them being the relative ease of cultivation. As a consumer, you are unlikely to notice much difference, except in the color of the flowers. The plants on sale are nearly always miniatures because of selection on the basis of dwarf characteristics and the use of growth inhibitors during cultivation.
Impatiens walleriana ‘Accent Lavender Blue’ is one of a series of spreading miniatures 6-8 in high. They spread even farther in the shade. The name ‘Lavender Blue,’ however, is somewhat misleading for this pink cultivar with a touch of lavender.
The Impatiens walleriana ‘Explore Series’ is currently one of the most important series. It was developed from the Accent, Expo, and Tempo series. The improvers were trying to produce larger flowers at an earlier date. Unfortunately, both flowers and foliage are easily affected by wet weather.
Impatiens walleriana ‘Explore Blue Satin’ is a soft shade of pale pink with a bluish glow and a salmon-pink center.
Impatiens walleriana ‘Evening Blush’ is one of the fully double cultivars. It has soft pink flowers and, at a height of 12 in, it is no longer a dwarf and is therefore more convenient for planting in containers. Double-flowered busy lizzies are sometimes grown from seed, but the results are unreliable and many of the plants will have single flowers. Double-flowered busy lizzies are therefore often propagated by cuttings.
Impatiens walleriana ‘Novette Rose Star’ has clearly bicolored flowers in crimson pink with a white star.
Impatiens walleriana ‘Pride Pink’ will fill an area in a flower-bed with soft pink. Impatiens walleriana ‘Super Elfin Rose’ comes from one of the superior series of plants that are more likely to tolerate a wet summer. It includes some lovely pastel colors. ‘Super Elfin Rose’ is one of the deeper shades, but this goes well with its dark foliage.
Impatiens walleriana ‘Victorian Rose’ was awarded a Fleuroselect gold medal in 1998. The variety must owe the award to the con-sistency of the product and the short time required for growing it from seed, because its resistance to poor weather, the other quality attributed to it, was not at all apparent from the trial arrangement of this rose-red, double-flowered plant. In my opinion, it is a disappointing product for the consumer.
