Those of us who rely on Impatiens walleriana for summer color may soon see this annual garden staple fall by the wayside as did the mighty Elm tree. Wholesalers are cutting or limiting their supply of I. walleriana and the vacuum will be hard to fill. According to recent literature however, the hybrid, Impatiens x hybrida 'SunPatiens' series are not effected by Plasmopara obducens( the fungus that causes downy mildew) but you may not be able to get them at your local garden center. A caveat to this morsel of information is that it seems the retailer, Home Depot, has purchased the rights to the plant for several years. Someone was on the ball. As spring wains and summer annuals display their color, sunpatiens may play a more significant roll. Perhaps I may visit a big box store tomorrow.......I wonder which one......... References: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic ... _impatiens http://www.dallasplanttrials.org/Articl ... atiens.htm http://www.sunpatiens.com/_ccLib/attach ... Mildew.pdf Jerry P.S. Thank you Dooley for mentioning Sunpatiens.
Hmmm... interesting. You can buy rights to an entire species??? Last week (or the week before) I found a couple of the Sunpatiens on the markdown rack at Lowes. I just needed a couple of "disposable" plants to fill a couple of containers. Hmmm....
I saw "SunPatiens" on QVC and fell in love!!! I missed the QVC special sale but ordered some from Park Seed. They arrived yesterday and are beautiful!! I can't believe they traveled clear across the country, in a box. They are perfect!
I buy impatiens every year for my patio pots. Last year they all died due to Downy mildew so I'm pleased that Sunpatiens can now take their place.
I've been having problems with downy mildew in my Impatiens for 5 years, and finally a year ago I discovered information about Impatiens Downy Mildew. It seemed to be unheard of until then. I'm giving all those gardens a year off as it lingers in the soil.
I have noticed that I could not get impatiens in the stores this year. That is a shame about the disease. When traveling in Puerto Rico many years ago, my husband & I noticed that impatiens grow like weeds there along the road side. Very beautiful. I hope this disease is not affecting impatiens "in the wild".
