"The disappearance of Lizzie"

Why have busy Lizzies disappeared?
Sunday, 01 April 2012     

Impatiens walleriana

Crouched deep within a shaded bed to weed last week, I came across an unusual sight: a small, self-sown 'busy Lizzie' (Impatiens walleriana, ht 30-60 cm) with a red flower. I recalled how this garden bed - which has a theme of red flowers - used to contain many busy Lizzies of this colour. Over the years, I had only allowed red-flowered ones to stay, so generally most of the seedlings came up in this colour after a while.

Busy Lizzies were plants I always had liked ever since I was a child - so colourful, so easy to grow and propagate: a cutting could develop roots in a glass of water! They came in a range of jewelled colours (including white, pinks, reds, orange, lilac and purple) and were so useful for shaded areas. They did self-seed, but were easy to pull up. They had amazing explosive seed capsules like coiled springs, which were fun for little children to play with. Though often grown as annuals, they would survive for several years in frost-free gardens, and flowered for many months of the year. They could grow a bit straggly after a while but if they were pruned back they would get a new lease of life. Compact cultivars were introduced over the years that kept a good shape. Some had double flowers, which resembled little roses. I loved all the colours but the white one was a favourite in shaded borders to echo white-variegated foliage.

All of a sudden, a few years ago, my busy Lizzies began dying - losing their leaves so that all that was left were sad stalks, which eventually died. No seedlings popped up in spring in my garden. I thought at first they had been eaten by caterpillars but it seemed an unlikely explanation for so many of them dying. I thought it was only in my garden, then I discovered that other people were having the same problem. It no longer even seemed possible to buy them in nurseries. It seems that busy Lizzies have become vulnerable to 'Impatiens downy mildew', caused by the pathogen Plasmopara obducens, which causes the symptoms I had noticed in my plants. This pathogen, related to Phytophthora, has been also found in the UK, Europe and the USA. There is apparently no chemical control available for home gardeners.

It's sad to think that a plant that we probably took too much for granted may never return to our gardens. The very few seedlings that have come up in my garden, like the one I discovered last week, generally don't survive very long, as they are soon afflicted by the fungus. Such plants should be thrown into the garbage bin, rather than composted.

The good news is that other species and cultivars of Impatiens are not affected by the pathogen. The New Guinea Impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri and its hybrids) are very attractive plants, with larger flowers in a range of lovely colours. Some also have interesting dark-coloured or variegated leaves. They do reasonably well in shade but they don't self-seed, and eventually need to be replaced by cuttings when they get tired - but they should last a few seasons, except in very cold suburbs. They shouldn't be pruned back until September, even though they may look scruffy during winter.

I used to grow quite a tall, shrubby species, called Impatiens sodenii (ht 1-3 m), which had soft pastel lilac flowers - I hadn't seen it for years but caught sight of it in a Blue Mountains garden last week. At one stage I also had a strange one with curved red and yellow blooms - it was called Impatiens niamniamensis 'Congo Cockatoo' (ht 1 m) and was quite a novelty. I also grew Impatiens balsamina (ht 75 cm) years ago - it had tall stems with hooded single or double flowers (the latter resembling tiny Camellia japonica). It used to self-seed quite freely but it hasn't come up in my garden for a few years and I wonder if it is also affected by the fungus.

We can also choose other shade-loving fillers instead of Impatiens - bedding (or 'wax') Begonia (Begonia semperflorens) are wonderful plants for this purpose and come in colours of white, pinks and reds. They are also very useful in pots. They do self-seed, but I have never minded this. Other suggestions for shaded positions include the many and varied bromeliads, low-growing Ruellia and Justicia species, rhizomatous Begonia and coleus.


 Reader Comments

1/8  Norm - 2046 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 02 April 2012

I used to grow the annual double-flowered balsam some years back and you have spurred me into getting some seeds to sow in spring, or checking out some nurseries for seedlings. Let"s hope these are fungus resistant. Great site, keep up the good work. Thanks, Norm. I will try those sorts again too and hope for the best. Deirdre


2/8  Diane - 2550 (Zone:8-9 - Cool Temperate to Alpine) Monday, 02 April 2012

I have been watching my impatiens slowly die over the last 3 weeks with the same problem. No snails or caterpillars to be seen. Thanks for solving my problem. How sad there is no way to save them. My big impatien Sodeni? is looking fab. Have a lovely break and thanks for the blog I love reading it. Thanks, Diane. Great that your shrubby Impatiens sodenii is doing well - I"d love to grow it again one day. Deirdre.


3/8  Rosemary - 2750 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 02 April 2012

I was wondering what I had done to the Impatiens,and after hunting around the potted colour popped in some more and the systemic sprays & baits availed little and now I know why. Never the less I have I.Monet seeds & I.Chinese Perennial Blue to plant unless they will succumb also? Hi Rosemary - I am not familiar with those ones you mention but I think you should plant them anyway - although it might be best to wait until late winter to sow them. It"s worth a try, as they may not be affected. Deirdre


4/8  Doug - 5343 (Zone:11B - Arid) Monday, 02 April 2012

Yes I was wondering why they have disappeared. With all fungi on plants I still have quite a bit of success with the old spraying with full cream milk. 1Litre of milk to 10 litres of water. I find it as good as commercial costly sprays etc.Doug Thanks for that good tip, Doug. Deirdre


5/8  Margaret - 2067 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 02 April 2012

Hi Deirdre, I also lost all my impatiens -and to think I used to pull the excess plants out! I find that vinca makes quite a good replacement plant - the flowers look almost the same and they have a good colour range. Happy Easter. Thanks, Margaret, for that good suggestion. Vinca is a great plant. Deirdre


6/8  Carole - 2230 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Tuesday, 03 April 2012

Ah Ha again! Now I know what happened to all my weed control Busy Lizzies - I thought it was our years of drought but having viewed a relatively new plant I concur with the fungus diagnosis, although strangely I have an exception, a single apricot impatiens in a pot over 2 years old.Thanks Deidre. Thanks, Carol. Interesting about your apricot one surviving. Perhaps some have more resiliance to the fungus than others. I hope it keeps on surviving! Deirdre


7/8  Lesley - 2088 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 18 April 2022

Hi Deidre, I thought I would let you know there is a new mildew resistant impatiens available- the Beacon hybrid, bred by American seeds. Its available to order as seeds from new seeds here https://newseeds.com.au/product-category/flower-ornamental-seed/impatiens/ I also see Bunnings has a Beacon mix, but the description does not say its mildew resistant, and so Im not sure whether it is the actual hybridised seed or not. Ive missed Lizzie too, will be ordering. Happy Easter Lesley Thank you so much for letting me know. In recent times I have had some success with a few ones I just bought from nurseries and I wondered if maybe the disease had gone away but maybe they are the resistant ones. I will definitely look into it as I love those plants. Deirdre


8/8  Lesley - 2088 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 18 April 2022

They are wonderful bright little fillers in the shade ( which is most of my garden, lots of trees) and so reliable. Cant wait to see them back. Its funny how you take things for granted and miss them terribly when they disappear. Ive just been rereading your blog on shade plants, and also despair of the lack of choice in large sydney nurseries. Green wallpaper Since the pandemic Ive been ordering a lot online. Maybe we could have a blog to share our best online finds? Yes I do find the big nurseries pretty dispiriting. I donā??t buy much online these days but there are certainly some good specialist nurseries out there. I also like quirky little nurseries and plant sale events by dedicated enthusiasts raising money for charity, such as the Lane Cove people. I also find garden clubs and groups are some of the best places to get unusual plants. The online nurseries discussion could be a good forum topic if you want to start one up? Deirdre


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