Annual / color · North Texas care guide
Impatiens walleriana & SunPatiens
Nursery Pro tip: Nothing lights up shade like impatiens. SunPatiens handle full sun and heat.
The classic shade annual — a solid carpet of color from April to frost where nothing else blooms. Standard impatiens want real shade; SunPatiens are a different animal, bred to take full sun and heat, and they're what we'd steer you to for a hot spot.
Standard types: part to full shade, morning sun at most. SunPatiens: full sun to part shade. Rich, moist, well-drained bed with plenty of compost. Space 10–12 in apart (18 in for SunPatiens, which get big).
April, once nights are reliably warm. Amend the bed heavily with compost, Root Stimulator, and 2 inches of mulch to hold moisture.
This is the demanding part — deep watering two or three times a week, more in August. Impatiens wilt dramatically and, unlike begonias, don't always bounce back. Mulch is not optional.
Slow-release at planting and a liquid feed every three or four weeks.
Self-cleaning. Shear leggy plants by a third in midsummer and they refill.
Downy mildew has wiped out bedding impatiens in many parts of the country — leaves yellow, drop and stems collapse. Don't replant impatiens in a bed where it's happened; use SunPatiens, New Guinea impatiens or begonias instead. Spider mites in dry heat.
Shade beds with caladiums, coleus, holly fern and hosta; SunPatiens in sunny pots with sweet potato vine.
Written for Rockwall's black clay, heat and winters by the Landscape Source team. Every yard is different — bring a photo by, or ask LS-Ai, and we'll tailor it to your spot.