The Detailed Guide To New Guinea Impatiens Flowers: Care, Maintenance, And Growth

New Guinea impatiens, also known as Impatiens hawkeri, will provide a spectacular show of blossoms in any sunny garden. New Guinea impatiens, like its shade-loving cousins, the common impatiens, develop tiny clumps of leaves with bright blooms that multiply quickly. These rapid growers will start to bloom early in the season if they are planted shortly after the last threat of a frost, and some types will continue to bloom well into the fall if they are produced at the right time. 

New Guinea impatiens provide a low-maintenance and high-performance alternative for gardeners who desire a showy seasonal display without the hassle of maintaining other types of plants. This particular type of impatiens has lovely pointed leaves that come in various colors, including dark green, burgundy, and variegated patterns that remain appealing throughout the season. 

The flowers can be multiple colors of orange, pink, red, white, or purple, and the blossoms are comparable to those of typical impatiens but are far more extensive. The flowers of New Guinea impatiens each have five petals arranged in the form of a heart. Because butterflies and other helpful insects are drawn to the blossoms of this plant, it is an excellent choice for inclusion in a landscape designed to attract pollinators.

Basic Information About New Guinea Impatiens

• Impatiens novae-guineensis is its common name.
• Impatiens hawkeri is its scientific name.
• Family: Balsaminaceae
• Annual is the type of plant.
• Size: ranging from 12 to 18 inches in height and 6 to 9 inches in width
• Sun Exposure: Full, partial
• Type of Soil: Moist, yet with good drainage
• Soil pH: Acidic (6.0 to 6.5)
• Bloom Time Each season: spring, summer, autumn, and winter
• Hardiness Zones: Zones 10-12 (USDA)
• New Guinea: the Country of Origin

Concern About New Guinea Impatiens

Most gardeners cultivate New Guinea impatiens as annuals, obtaining the plants as starts and afterward planting them in their gardens. You should anticipate that your New Guinea impatiens starts will either already bloom or will bloom early in the season. These flowers will keep their vibrant hues as long as they receive adequate sunlight and water, requiring very little care and attention. If you remove all the weeds from your garden, you will reduce the competition for water and ensure that your plants will thrive.

Impatiens from New Guinea may be grown outside in pots to give an eye-level vista of window-brightening color throughout the entire season. They are an excellent choice for use as a border or edger along a walkway or at the beginning of a garden. For a striking visual effect, plant impatiens in a vast block when you include them in this manner. Although impatiens may be grown as perennials in certain zones and as houseplants in containers in other zones, you should not expect them to produce flowers throughout the year inside.

How To Take Care Of New Guinea Impatiens

Light

The quantity of light exposure your New Guinea impatiens require is contingent on the temperature and humidity of the environment in which they are grown. In a garden with eastern exposure, the New Guinea impatiens thrive when they receive early light and afternoon shade. Impatiens will need more water and may not bloom as profusely if the Sun is powerful and the temperatures are exceptionally high.

Soil

Impatiens from New Guinea do best in soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5, but other than that, they are not overly picky about their environment. These flowers require soil that has good drainage and can retain moisture for a sufficient amount of time for their roots to absorb. Since New Guinea impatiens are heavy eaters, it is crucial to amend the soil with significant organic matter before sowing the seeds. After you've planted your flowers in the ground, please give them a healthy dose of water to help them get established.

Water

Impatiens from New Guinea do best when they are watered consistently. Please do not allow them to go without water for a lengthy period, as this will cause them to cease flowering and might ultimately result in their death. Even though New Guinea impatiens are not tolerant of drought, their crowns can still decay if the soil is wet for an extended time. 1 If you must water them from the bottom up, use a drip hose if feasible.

Humidity And Temperature

It is best to wait to plant New Guinea impatiens outside when there is no longer any risk of frost, and nighttime temperatures are above 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures ranging from 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit at night are ideal for these blooms. They are most successful in the high-humidity zones 10, 11, and 12.

Fertilizer

Supplemental fertilizer benefits New Guinea impatiens since they bloom continuously throughout the season. Every three to four weeks, administer a dosage of your preferred water-soluble meal, being sure to choose one that is explicitly designed for blossoming flowers. When cultivated as perennials, you may incorporate some compost into the planting process, either at the beginning of the season or at the end.

Varieties Of Impatiens From New Guinea

Providing recommendations about annual varieties is difficult because they are continually being hybridized. It is impossible to predict whether the novelty introduced will offer the following year again this year or whether there will be an even more impressive, upgraded version. Growers are particularly interested in the following varieties of New Guinea impatiens:

Impatiens 'Paradise Rose Flair'

Impatiens 'Paradise Rose Flair' is a top-performing type of impatiens that produces iridescent rose-red blooms throughout the whole growing season. This plant reaches a height and width of 16 inches when fully mature.

The Sun-Loving Impatiens 'Sun Harmony Baby Pink' 

The sun-loving Impatiens 'Sun Harmony Baby Pink' has delicate pink blooms that are 2 inches wide and bloom continuously throughout the summer. The plant will be 20 inches tall and broad when it has reached its total growth.

Impatiens 'Sun standing Salmon' 

If you want flowers that are a coral color. This cultivar may be planted in places that get shaded to whole light and look fabulous when grown in pots since it can reach a maximum height and width of 36 inches.

Impatiens ' Sun standing Glowing Scarlet' 

Impatiens ' Sun standing Glowing Scarlet'  matures to a height and width of 36 inches and produces beautiful orange flowers with heart-shaped petals throughout the entire summer. The plant itself grows to a height of 36 inches.

The Pruning Process  

Impatiens from New Guinea need to be pruned in the middle of summer to get the most flowers out of them. To do this, begin by pinching the stem to its initial set of leaves and removing the spent blossoms off the plant. It is something that you can regularly perform all through the season. Next, inspect the sections of the plant where the stems have become lanky and where there is more foliage than blossoms. Should your impatiens develop spindly branches, prune them back to within six inches of their original height, beginning at the plant's center.

If your impatiens blooms appear to be whole and unblemished, you are not required to trim them in any way.

Propagating New Guinea Impatiens

Starts of New Guinea impatiens may be found at most nurseries, providing you with a wide selection of options. However, if you want to save money or adore the particular cultivar you planted, you may quickly cultivate more plants from the cuttings of the original plant.

Impatiens from New Guinea may be grown from cuttings in the following manner:

1. Get your hands on some garden shears, some alcohol wipes, a glass, a pot, and some potting soil.
2. To sterilize your shears, clean the blades with an alcohol wipe and swab them with rubbing alcohol.
3. Choose a sturdy stem and make your cut between four and six inches below the flower.
4. Take off the leaves that are on the bottom of the cutting so that you are just left with the top two leaves.
5. Put the cut end of the cutting into a glass of water, and then place the glass where it will get plenty of sunlight until the cutting begins to root.
6. Put some potting mix in a pot, then water it and set it so it can drain.
7. Make a hole in the ground and insert the cutting you want to plant. Make sure to bury all the roots and expose about an inch of the stem.
8. Before transplanting the plant into your garden, give it time to acclimate to its new environment by placing the container in a bright spot inside your home. After a few days, move it outside.

How To Germinate And Grow Impatiens From Seed In New Guinea

The majority of New Guinea impatiens types cannot be produced from seed because they are hybrids and so either do not produce viable offspring or do not grow true to the origin. However, a few cultivars have stabilized sufficiently for seeds to be made accessible for them. The Divine Series, which features blooms in colors of white, pink, lavender, orange, and red, and the Tango, which features blossoms with a stunning bright orange hue, are examples of such varieties.

If you want to produce impatiens from seed, you need to be prepared to put in a lot of work since the seeds need to be sown inside approximately three months before the date when your area typically experiences its final frost. After the seed starting mix has been added to a tray, a 6-pack of cells should moisten the soil. You may plant two seeds in each cell, distribute them around the tray, and cover them with a light coating of dirt. First, mist the top, cover your containers with plastic wrap, and lastly, put them somewhere the sunlight can reach them. Remove the plastic once the seedlings have developed two sets of leaves, and then wait three months before placing the seedlings in the ground after allowing them to grow for that time.

Transplanting New Guinea Impatiens Into Pots And Repotting Them

Impatiens from New Guinea create fantastic container flowers that may enliven the outside of your home when displayed there. Before you report them:

1. Find a container with adequate drainage.
2. The impression is that the container has a bottom by placing a thin layer of stones in the bottom before adding soil.
3. Take your impatiens starts of their packaging, and if the roots at the bottom appear to be root-bound, gently separate them with your fingers.
4. Transfer the seedlings to the container, position them according to your preferences, and cover the roots as you do.

Before placing the pot in a sunny place outside, it should be watered and let drain entirely first.

Repotting New Guinea impatiens is practically never required because of the plant's slow growth rate and the fact that it is often grown annually.

Overwintering

Bringing impatiens indoors during the winter months allows gardeners who wish to prolong the life of their plants and those who want to move them outside in the spring to do it without having to do so again. You first need to check the plant to see whether it is affected by any diseases or insects. After that, trim the plant, so it is about a third shorter, give it a little water, and then move it to a more sunny location in your house. (If you don't have enough natural light inside, you might need to supplement with a plant light.) After the first frost of spring, you should harden off your plant by taking it outdoors during the day for a few days after the last frost, repotting it in new soil, giving it plenty of water, and cutting it back by half. After the weather has warmed up sufficiently, move the pot to a sunny location outside.

Common New Guinea Impatiens Diseases And Pests

In the same way that aphids and spider mites may cause harm to common impatiens, they can also do it to New Guinea impatiens. These pests do this by sucking the plant's fluids. To treat an infestation, you should begin by lowering the population by spraying it with water from your garden hose. After that, should apply a spray made of insecticide soap to the plant.

It is possible for necrotic spot and tomato spotted wilt to spread across an inpatient bed infested with thrips. Because there is now no treatment for these viruses, prevention is of the utmost importance, and eradicating thrips will decrease the likelihood of the disease spreading.

Impatiens grown in too wet soil are susceptible to various fungal diseases, including downy mildew, botrytis blight, and verticillium wilt. You may avoid this by sticking to a regular watering schedule and leaving more space between plants in the garden when you put them in the ground. Once these diseases have established themselves, the only way to treat downy mildew is to remove the infected plant from the soil. On the other hand, Botrytis blight and verticillium wilt could be responsive to a fungicide.

How To Grow New Guinea Impatiens For Flowering

The New Guinea impatiens will produce the most beautiful blooms if planted in a location with morning light and afternoon shade. If your garden area is exposed to more sunlight than eight hours a day, you might consider erecting a temporary shade structure to get the most blossoms out of your plants.

Flowering can be affected by whether or not sufficient moisture conditions are maintained. If your impatiens become waterlogged, they will stop producing blooms, and their leaves will take on a crimson tint. You can prevent this by ensuring they do not receive too much water. If this occurs, reduce the amount of water you are applying to the soil, but do not let it get entirely dry.

Impatiens From New Guinea Frequently Have The Following Issues:

New Guinea impatiens, like other types of flowers, are susceptible to getting sunburned and developing a condition known as marginal necrosis when this happens. Even while the brown necrotic areas on the leaves are not particularly dangerous, they make for an ugly presentation. Ensuring that your planting area has sufficient shade is the most effective strategy to avoid this problem.