Pronounciation: Im-PAT-ee-ins NEW GEN-ee

Hardiness zones:
Sunset All zones
USDA All zones

Landscape Use: Great bedding plant for shaded color borders during fall and spring in Phoenix. When used as a bedding plant, place individuals 6-inches apart for a strong mass effect. Also, they are wonderful in mixed colored containers or hanging baskets. Because of their visual appeal and diminuative habit, New Guinea impatiens are best used in close proximity to human traffic such as near a shaded walkway, front entryway, courtyard, or covered patio.

Form & Character: Succulent, crispy and brittle, rounded, regal, formal, colorful, cheerful, interesting.

Growth Habit: Herbaceous perennial treated as a cool season annual in Phoenix. Moderate growth rate to 18- to 24-inches tall, often much less, with near equal width.

Foliage/Texture: Broadly lanceolate leaves 1.5- to 6-inches long, the apex tapering to a point, margins smooth to coarsely serrate, prominent veination, colors ranging from deep green through deep maroon; 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: Not tolerant of frost or high summer heat.

Light: Shade to partial eastern sun.

Soil: A well-drained garden soil amended with copious organic matter is essential! New Guinea impatiens like other impatiens are salt sensitive; so do not over fertilize as plants will sustain foliar burn quite easily.

Watering: Regular supplemental water required.

Pruning: None except occassionally pinch apical meristems will encourage a denser canopy. And as always (good BMPs), clean all hands and tools before hand pinching or pruning.

Propagation: Softwood cuttings, seed propagation for Spectra F₁ hybrids only. New Guinea impatiens are cropped in three ways by commercial growers: 1) order rooted cuttings to grow stock plants from which cuttings are taken for production, 3) order unrooted cuttings to root for production, or 3) order rooted cuttings which are then transplanted into the finishing container.

Disease and Pests: Usually disease and pest free in outdoor Phoenix landscapes because of its ephemeral use as a colorful bedding plant. Otherwise, in other landscape setting around the country, aphids, spider mites, and fungal root rots are a common problem. In greenhouses, New Guinea impatiens can suffer from tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV) in the leaf and stem tissues, which can be easily vectored 'plant-to-plant' by human hands.

Additional comments: Great color plant for shaded areas. Readily available in local retail nurseries and home improvement centers. Most commercially available plants are double flowered (sterile) with colorful foliage.

Historical perspective: The origin of New Guinea Impatiens started with a joint plant collecting expedition by Longwood Gardens and the USDA in 1970. Several plants were brought back from New Guinea and originally given separate species names. However, cytogenetic work later indicated that they actually belonged to one phenotypically variable species, Impatiens hawkeri. Crosses with additional Impatiens species form Java and the Celebes Islands resulted in the hybrid 'New Guinea' impatiens that are grown today. The first commercial series of New Guinea impatiens hybrids was released 1972 and was called the Circus series. Since 1972, numerous series comprised of hundreds of unique cultivars. Most of the New Guinea impatiens cultivars are patented meaning it is unlawful to harvest cuttings unless you are a licensed propagator. Recent horticultural breeders have concentrated on the development shorter more densely foliated plants with strong combinations of foliar color and the development of plants with higher heat and drought tolerance.