Impatiens for semi-shade: Brighten a shady corner

City living creates ample opportunity for shade gardens.  Trees, houses, apartment buildings can block the direct sun required for many types of flowers. A south backyard vegetable garden is the best location, but that means a cool north shady front yard, where sun-loving blooms just won't flourish. A cool green garden is beautiful but for that pop of colour, flowers are desired. What flowers grow in shade?  


Vibrant impatiens

My favourite shade-loving flower is impatiens. They grow best in dappled shade and are softly beautiful & delicate with both vibrant and pastel colours.

This spring I grew Beacon impatiens from seeds bought at T&T Seeds. I am quite pleased with the results. I planted each seed in its own little pot in early February. The pots were placed on a heat mat, and every seed germinated. I grew them under lights for a few months, and then placed them in a south facing window. As they grew, I transplanted them into bigger pots.

Once the impatiens started to branch out and bloom, I cut off the flower heads with about one inch of fleshy stem. This trimming gets the plant to branch out, creating more blooms, and the plant is full, not leggy.

Impatiens grown from seed

Don't throw out the trimmings, though. Take off the flowers, leave a few leaves on each stem. Place the cuttings into water. I propped them up in a shallow jar criss-crossed with tape, so each stem was suspended in water, with a few leaves held above the water by the tape. 

Even easier, just plant each stem with a few leaves directly into a loose, moist potting mix. 

Place the cuttings in water, or in potting mix, in a bright room, but out of direct sunlight. They will grow roots.

The cuttings in water developed roots quickly, and after about 2 weeks, I planted them into a moist potting mix and they grew well. 

The cuttings placed directly in the soil also rooted really well too. 

All of the cuttings have flowers on them (early May). I will clip them as well, to create fuller plants with more blossoms. 

And I'll plant them outdoors in semi-shaded spots in my front yard once there is no danger of frost. Impatiens are tender and will die when temperatures hover around freezing. They also require a steady supply of water, as they thrive in moist soil. I grow them in planters. 



Soft white delicate impatiens
Notes: 

I noticed little crystal clear droplets of a sticky substance on the stems of my extremely healthy looking impatiens today (May 8).  What?  Yikes! Absolutely no sign of bugs, or mildew, or damage. I researched these honeydew-like  tiny glimmering beads and it seems they might appear on impatiens grown indoors. Sugars are released, or something like that. Maybe I let them sit in a bit of water too long....good news is that there is no big problem here.  
Jar & string for rooting cuttings

Impatiens cuttings not yet trimmed 

Trimmed cuttings ready for rooting














The seeds were a bit expensive, $3.95 for 25 seeds. But every seed I planted germinated, and from 10 seeds I generated by cuttings about 30 plants. These will all be of good size when I plant them out in a few weeks. I am extremely satisfied with my venture into growing impatiens, and I'll grow other types of impatiens next year. 

Cuttings in jar filled with water







In March and April, a south window in Edmonton provides enough light for impatiens bedding plants to flourish.  In my shady front yard, I observe that impatiens grow best in dappled shade. They seem to like early morning or late afternoon sun. I grow them in pots, as the soil is too dense and hard in my front yard, with  tree roots and a clay base.   

After 2 weeks in water, roots are well formed.
Impatiens cuttings will root in water in about two weeks. At this point, put them in moist potting mix and indirect light. They will further root and be ready for transplant into bigger pots or the garden in another 3 weeks or so. 


Tip: Keep plants in pots moist with this idea.