Tips for Growing Impatiens
Annuals for Shade
Avid gardeners are growing Impatiens all over the U.S. There are good reasons for this. Busy Lizzys are colorful, easy to grow annuals for shade. Pictures of different types of Impatiens
Buy Double Impatiens, Several Colors Available There are several different types of Impatiens: New Guinea Impatiens offer foliage which is sometimes variegated and larger blooms. 
"Impatiens, (New Guinea) Hot Divine Mix Hybrid 12 Plants" Double Impatiens which feature miniature-rose-like flowers.Sun Impatiens which are bred to grow in full sun.Yellow Impatiens, a color breakthrough.Impatiens balsamina, the old-fashioned garden balsam with tall stems and an upright growth habit. 
"Balsam, Mix 1 Pkt. (75 seeds)" Impatiens capensis bears little orange, orchid-like flowers.There is truly a Busy Lizzy for every garden.
Native to eastern Africa from Kenya to Mozambique, these tender perennials are usually grown as annuals. Most types are root hardy to roughly 25 degrees F. though, when growing Impatiens in areas colder than zone 10, you should expect the top growth to freeze to the ground. If you have a special variety or color that you wish to preserve, this can easily be accomplished by taking 5 inch tip cuttings. Cuttings will root easily and quickly in water or soil and can spend the winter on a windowsill. A kitchen or bathroom window would be ideal as the humidity will be higher.
Planting Impatiens Under Trees
Impatiens and bromeliads thriving at the foot of an oak tree.Busy Lizzys put on a splendid color show when massed under trees. They enjoy the shade and frost protection the tree gives but must contend with the much larger and more established tree roots for food and water. Here's how you can care for impatiens when planting them under trees: - Set each plant into a pocket of soil deep enough for it to establish a healthy root system. Five inches will serve.
- Add a handful of organic compost to the planting hole and mix in a little slow release fertilizer.
- Once all the plants are in place, add a pine straw mulch between them. Pine straw is airy and will not rot the succulent stems of the plants, but it will add organic matter to the soil and keep it cooler and more moist.
- Feed once a month with a bloom booster
 . - Lastly, watch your plants. It's normal for such thin leaved plants to droop in the middle of a summer afternoon. If they are still sagging the next morning, they need more water. If they begin to flower less abundantly, they need an extra feeding.
Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus
These leggy Lizzys need pruning.Impatiens grow leggy in response to an overabundance of food, water and shade. Fortunately, this is easy to fix. Just whack them back by half. They will come back bushier and full of buds in a matter of weeks. If you are growing impatiens that suddenly become stunted, develop brown or yellow circles on the leaves, or black or brown stem discoloration they may be infected with INSV. This serious disease is spread by western flower thrips. Many other garden plants (more than 300 species) are vulnerable to it. There is no cure and the infection is often fatal. The best way to protect your plant collection is to destroy any plant you believe to be infected.
Buy Impatiens Seeds
 
"Impatiens, Fusion Peach Frost 12 Plants "  
"Impatiens, Omeiana 1 plant" This unique perennial Impatiens is winter hardy into zone 6!  
"Impatiens, Tokyo Spring Mix 12 Plants"  
"Impatiens, Candy Box 1 Pkt. (20 seeds)"
Other Plants for Shady Spots:
The Gold Dust Plant: a Treasure for the Shade Garden
Australian Tree Ferns Prefer Shade & Constant Moisture
The Florida Coontie: a Shrub-like Palm for Sun or Shade
Coleus 'Dipt in Wine' Looks Good Enough to Drink
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