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Maintenance Impatiens for Sun and Shade
By Melinda Myers
[January 10, 2026]
Impatiens’ easy-care nature, season-long bloom, and shade tolerance
made it one of the most popular garden annuals. The introduction of
downy mildew-resistant varieties has helped it maintain this status.
For these reasons as well as its butterfly and hummingbird appeal
the National Garden Bureau has declared 2026 Year of the Impatiens.
The name impatiens is Latin for impatient. It refers to the fact
that the seeds abruptly exit the ripe seed pods. Orange jewelweed
(Impatiens capensis) and yellow jewelweed (Impatiens pallida) are
also known by the common name touch-me-not since their ripe seed
pods burst at a slight touch. These two North American native plants
attract and support bumblebees, other long-tongued bees, butterflies
and hummingbirds.
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Some impatiens species’ flowers undergo a sex change as they mature
known as sequential hermaphroditism. Their flowers start as male and
after the pollen sheds, they morph into a female.
Most gardeners are familiar with Impatiens walleriana, also known as
Busy Lizzie, and have grown them in containers, hanging baskets and
garden beds. You will find a variety of colors and double-flowered
varieties like Musica®, Silhouette series, Glimmer™ and Fiesta. Look
for Beacon®, Glimmer™, and Imara XDR which are resistant to downy
mildew disease that devastated many plantings of impatiens starting
in 2011.
New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri) is resistant to downy
mildew, grows 12 to 15 inches tall and prefers partial shade.
Introduced to the United States in the 1970s, you’ll find cultivars
with dark green, bronze and variegated leaves and large white, pink,
red, orange and violet flowers. Look for the flower color and plant
size that best fits your container or garden design.
Interspecific hybrid impatiens were bred by crossing two different
species of impatiens for some adaptability or aesthetic benefit.
Bounce, and Spectra® grow well in part sun to shady locations while
Solarscape® XL and Sunpatiens thrive in a full or half day of direct
sunlight. All are downy mildew resistant.
For something different try growing a few Garden Balsams (Impatiens
balsamina). Popular during the Victorian era, its cup-shaped flowers
grow by the leaves all along the upright stems. The peppermint stick
garden balsam cultivar has red and white flowers that are spotted,
striped and ruffled. Camellia balsam impatiens have large double
flowers reminiscent of the flowers on a camellia shrub.
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Keep the soil consistently moist for healthy and attractive
impatiens. Spread a layer of leaves, evergreen needles or other
organic mulch over the soil surface to help retain moisture and
suppress weeds. Regular fertilization according to label directions
will help you maximize the floral display.
Pinch back leggy impatiens plants as needed. Use a sharp bypass
pruner or snips to reduce the plants by up to one half their height.
Make the cut just above a set of leaves or node to encourage more
compact growth and a better-looking plant in just a couple of weeks.
With the many color choices and their adaptability, you are sure to
find the right impatiens for your containers and garden beds.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books,
including the Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small
Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything”
instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s
Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and
contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned
by Summit for her expertise to write this article. Myers’ website is www.MelindaMyers.com.
[Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com]
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