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Scientific: Impatiens balsamina (Synonyms: Balsamina balsamina, Balsamina hortensis, Impatiens balsamina var. vulgaris, Impatiens coccinea)
Common: impatiens, balsam, touch-me-not, snap weed
Family: Balsaminaceae
Origin: India, China, Malaysia

Pronounciation: Im-PAT-ee-ins bal-sa-ME-na

Hardiness zones:
Sunset All zones
USDA All zones

Landscape Use: Impatiens is a summer annual for shaded bedding plant areas such as entryways in Phoenix. Also, impatiens are a great choice for containers and hanging baskets.

Form & Character: Diminuative, low, rounded, somewhat succulent, delicate, colorful, fesitve and cheerful.

Growth Habit: In Phoenix, impatiens is a herbaceous perennial that is mostly grown as a tender cool-season annual or as a protected (shade) warm season annual in Phoenix. Erect and branching to 30-inches tall, but often much less, equal to greater spread.

Foliage/Texture: Broadly lanceolate leaves 1.5- to 6-inches long, the apex tapering to a point, deeply serrate to sometimes lobed; medium texture.

Flowers & Fruits: Flowers axillary, 1- to 2-inches across on a short pedicel, often overtopped by leafy shoots; fruit is a asymmetrical capsule, hairy.

Seasonal Color: Many flower colors mostly from white, pink, roes to lilac

Temperature: In Phoenix, not tolerant of winter temperatures below 32oF (increasingly rare in these day of urban heat islands and 'global climate change'). Also, struggles during the high heat of Phoenix summers when highest daily temperatures exceed 110oF if not planted in full shade locations.

Light: Shade to partial eastern sun.

Soil: Garden soil with copious organic matter preferred, VERY salt sensitive.

Watering: Regular, nearly daily during summer.

Pruning: Pinch apical meristems to encourage canopy density, otherwise mostly just leave impatiens alone and let them 'do their thing'.

Propagation: Seed

Disease and Pests: Usually none because of its ephemeral (fleeting) use in the landscape as a summer color bedding plant.

Additional comments: Impatiens is a good and quite common color plant for shaded areas in Phoenix during the summer and partially-shaded areas during the fall and spring. They are readily available in local retail nurseries and home improvement centers. Most commercially available plants are double flowered.