Last summer I fell in love with the Sunny Lady series impatiens from Park Seed. I have some flowerbeds that are being overtaken by more and more shade each year, but they still get several hours of full sun daily, and it’s hard to find plants that can handle such diverse conditions.
This year I tried a few more colors. My hands-down favorite was ‘Cranberry’.
I only sprouted a dozen of them because the Park Seed catalog displayed what I can only guess is an incorrect photo of the flowers. I wanted (and got) a beautiful cranberry color, but I was cautious because the photo online and in the catalogs shows an orangy-red flower with a white center.
Some of my plants receive 3 or more hours of full sun during the hottest part of the day, so I was a little worried when much of June and July featured temperatures in the upper 90s and low 100s. I feared the plants might melt into a puddle. They flagged during some of the hottest days, but they always recovered in the evening, and they kept on blooming. Now that we’re no longer living on the face of the sun, the plants have really filled out nicely like they did last summer.
Sunny Lady impatiens grow 8 to 10 inches tall and wide. Several flowers planted together form a showy clump. Like other impatiens, they deadhead themselves so they require little care other than water and an occasional boost of fertilizer.
I hope this series doesn’t disappear anytime soon because I’m addicted.
2 comments
Nice looking impatiens! Have you grown or seen the Sunpatiens. We picked up 4 this year and planted them in a sunny but very windy spot as a trial plant. They grew well and have been in bloom ever since we’ve had them. After the rain and wind we’ve had from Wednesday evening until last night, they are standing strong and in full bloom. A tremendous and attractive plant that come in several colours. You can’t buy the seed, only the plants.
I have not heard of Sunpatiens, but they sound wonderful. I’ll keep my eye out for the plants next spring. Thanks for the tip!
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