From Esbenshade's Garden Center, Successful Gardening ::

New Guinea Impatiens

Posted in: Flowering Plants - Leisure Reading
By
Apr 12, 2007 - 10:28:09 PM

Add a beautiful splash of color to your garden beds or decorate your patios and decks with planted containers and hanging baskets of New Guinea Impatiens.  Choose from a variety of colorful blossoms:  red, orange, pink, lavender and purple as well as bicolor and tricolor leaves with stripes of yellow, red, bronze or purple.  This wonderful plant is an excellent addition to any home or garden.

Light

New Guinea Impatiens like full sun to light shade.  They need to be protected from the hot, dry, full afternoon sun (1:00 pm to 4:00 pm).

Fertilizer

New Guineas are heavy feeders.  Water the plant thoroughly and fertilize the following day with Jack’s or Peter’s All Purpose Plant Food
20-20-20.  For best results, follow the directions on the container carefully.  You should not fertilize the plant when it is dry.

General Care

These impatiens need plenty of water, especially when grown in more exposed locations.  Due to succulent stems, impatiens quickly wilts into a limp state, but will recover almost as quickly when watered.  Their rapid recovery from moisture loss tempts some gardeners to use wilting as an indication of need for water, but this is a poor garden practice.  Try not to let impatiens get to the wilting point.  New Guinea Impatiens grows from 8-24” tall, and should be spaced 12-20”.


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