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For the naysayers if you search my name you will see that back last Sept. I posted the warning that there was a problem. I have relocated now off LI and they have few, if any of the regular impatiens here, plenty of the New Guinea type who remain unaffected by this problem. I have been advised by two master gardners that I need to eliminate them for at least 2 - 4 growing seasons as the spores can survive and reappear.
FWIW I went to a lecture at Merrifield Garden Center a few months ago, and they told us about the outbreak back then. They said they would not sell impatiens this year. Merrifield is a major garden center in my neck of the woods, and they sell thousands of impatiens every year, so that really caught my attention. What a shame, it's so colorful, lives in the shade, and is the one plant everyone can grow.
Is this just a regional thing? Because this last weekend I visited several local nurseries, and all had oodles of regular impatiens (not the New Guinea variety) for sale. I asked one of the nursery owners about it and he said he's heard nothing of this.
I was just at my local K-Mart, and they had little pots of the regular impatiens, as well as hanging baskets. But I've decided I'm not buying any this summer...only the New Guinea variety.
Is this just a regional thing? Because this last weekend I visited several local nurseries, and all had oodles of regular impatiens (not the New Guinea variety) for sale. I asked one of the nursery owners about it and he said he's heard nothing of this.
A good nursery owner should know all about the problem.
Is this just a regional thing? Because this last weekend I visited several local nurseries, and all had oodles of regular impatiens (not the New Guinea variety) for sale. I asked one of the nursery owners about it and he said he's heard nothing of this.
Right now it has not hit some of the mountain states, if locally grown. That's why the original article was so sad... it was another state showing infection as the disease spreads from the eastern states westward. It's also spreading from the west coast so it is only a matter of time. At the moment there may be no infected plants in your area but that doesn't mean by the end of spring it won't be showing up. So many plants are being shipped across country that it is only a matter of time for it to spread to the few states that have not had infections found by inspectors. Do yourself a favor and get used to planting something else for shade it you need.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LibraGirl123
I was just at my local K-Mart, and they had little pots of the regular impatiens, as well as hanging baskets. But I've decided I'm not buying any this summer...only the New Guinea variety.
Smart move.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KellyCrash
What is the difference between regular impatiens and new guinea impatiens?
New guinea impatiens look a little different and are more tolerant of sun. They are in the same family of plants but are hybrids of plants from New Guinea and Java and its Latin name is Impatiens hawkeri. Ordinary Impatiens are Impatiens wallerana. The leaf and flower are different appearing and they come from very different origins. The new Sunpatiens is a hybrid of the two of them but seems to be immune like the New Guinea parent. The native wildflower called jewel weed is also in the Impatiens family (Impatiens capensis) and may get the infection but does not die from it. The worry is that it can harbor the spores and help spread the disease.
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