Rampant Spread of Impatiens Disease Means Limited Supply

This Shade bed is filling in so much that I don't have much space for impatiens any more. This year but I did get a few dwarf begonias in around the edge. I also miss the Impatiens a lot for other places.

Holly -- that looks lovely -- I like the way the ivy fits in.

Thanks Happy, I am really pleased with this bed.

Beauteous!!!!

Our local Walmart did sell a limited selection of impatiens, but too their credit there was a notice posted right by them about the mildew.

The New Guinea Impatiens look gorgeous right now as a substitute.

So would the vincas--they come in every cilor...look just like Impatiens too.
G.

I've used some of both but more begonias than anything.

Wow, I didn't know they wrote a news article on it. The Amish greenhouse we bought all most of our annuals from this year had half a house dedicated to Imps. Luckily, I had 18 of them die last year to this malady and spoke with an expert at another nursery. They told me it was in the soil and any bought this year would probably die too.

As a result, our gardens are hopped full of Torenia and New Guinea Imps.

Can't find much torenia around here - for some reason I seem to always find it at the end of the season. Love torenia but only have 1 plant so far this year.

Torenia is pretty easy to come by here, I think we bought 16 this year. I was pretty excited yesterday when I was patrolling the gardens after work and saw burgundy and pink varieties in addition to the blue. When we bought it none of them were flowering but it was a mix and I haven't seen those colors before.

Torenia is harder for major commercial growers to produce as it is not a uniform shape grower like imp or beg. Also, it is a trailer and rangy an therefore, harder to ship and shop. Additionally it comes into bloom "shows color" later and less prolifically. Sometimes pulling apart a hanging basket of Torenia is the way to go.

Yes, plant breeders have been busy and new colors are starting to be available. I picked up some yellow ones called 'Yellow Moon' (I think)

We have the bush type Torenia, not the trailers. I'll see if I can take some pics to post later today or tomorrow.

My point on torenia availability is that it is more limited because it is ,less easy/cost effective to produce even though demand may be higher because of unavailability of Americas most popular annual: impatiens. Glad you havefound some locally that you like and work for you, too I use most of mine in combo containers so the spreading/trailing is a plus!
http://www.greenhousemanagementonline.com/gmpro-0410-torenia-wishbone-flower-culture.aspx

Well maybe they will start producing more of them in the wake of the Imp issues :)

It's all too bad really though because the Imps trump Torenia in my book. The New Guinea Imps are expensive but a local nursery was selling them in six packs for 12 bucks this spring. Still expensive but better than it used to be around here at least.

Sequoia, I don't know if it has been made clear that Imp Downey Mildew disease is 'rampant' not because it exists 'out there' as that has always been the case. In my opinion, it is 'rampant' because of commercial growers who wittingly or unwittingly allowed millions and millions of infected but appearing OK impatiens to be distributed to consumers far and wide and their soils and yards now harbour the disease so that even healthy impatiens can perpetuate the cycle of disease. The disease wasn't in your soil until an infected impatiens was planted there by you or a nearby neighbor!

Well you're probably correct there but what really bothers me is that the nurseries are selling Imps like there's nothing wrong. Only if you ask them do they say anything. I feel bad for the gardener who doesn't know any better and puts them in their yard only to have them die.

And think it was their fault, or something they did or didn't do, or just a 'fluke'.

I had the problem for 2 years and did not know it was a disease.
I thought some bug or slug was eating off all the leaves--as they always ended up bare.

SO! Myu beds are definitely contaminated...at least a couple of them. G.

Holly, what a beautiful shade bed! Would love some tips from you about this as I have a shady spot behind my shed that I'd like to turn into a shade bed.

I ended up with New Guinea imps this summer and they have been doing well.

I understand that New Guinea imps don't get the downy mildew disease. They can be a bit pricey if you are use to putting in several flats of imps like we usually do.
Thank you Catmint, That is exactly what my bed started out as, a small bed behind the Potting shed. Then I cut back the Quince that was growing beside the shed and worked into that space. This bed gets most of its color from several different Heuchera and hosta of varying colors. Some variegated ivy (can be a real thug), hardy begonia, ferns, hellebore. Then I added in a few annual begonias. All pretty much common plants. The leaf color and textures give it plenty of color even when it isn't blooming much.

Holly, it's gorgeous--it is really like artistry with plants! :-)

Egads, $12 for a 6-pack of New Guineas!?! Oh dear, that's a lot!

Interesting about Torenias, that's one of the "usuals" that we carry at work; the low sprawling ones, not the shrubby ones. Yeah, they're often part of combo baskets, but we also get them in... I can't remember if they're 4-packs or 6-packs. They're part of our usual fare like Pentas, Petunias, and Stock. =) (Oh My!) ;) We didn't get a lot of regular Imps this year, but we got a TON of extra NG's... any time I saw anyone looking at any of the regular ones I was sure to rush out there and warn them "yeah, they look just fine, but just know... ya never know!!" I may have hurt our sales, but too bad. =)

Good for you, Speedie--I know I appreciate it when the professionals in the nursery tell me what I wouldn't otherwise know!!

With great trepidation I purchased a tray of coral colored impatience from Lowe's in the spring. They had just come in and were a good price. I am happy to report that they have done just fine and look great. What a relief!

Ditto, Holly on your garden combination. It is gorgeous!!

Speedie, I got lucky with the NGs--my favorite nursery was having a special on flats. However, I only got 4 individual packs of the NGs. This is really my first year gardening, and so for me it's been more sample this, sample that, see what I like, see what works...

This fall with my infusion of bulbs :-D will be my first time dealing with a larger set of plants, trying to think strategically about placement, and so on! It is a little daunting for me, but exciting as well!!

Problems with Impatiens? Plant something else! This is Mother Nature showing who's Boss...! The other plants will thank you!

From a seed--somewhere---I had ONE Impatiens self-germinate.
A lovely pink one.

You bet--I am going to let it grow in one of my beds.....Gita

Just an update that all the impatiens I started from seed and planted out have done great - no signs of disease on any of them.

Great report Lady! I was so hoping that would be the case for you and your seedlings.

Thanks. They are about the only things that did well for me this year. 2013=gardening fail!

Lady, be very watchful as we move in to cool damp weather which favors the growth of this disease and the production of spores that can and will overwinter in our soils.

Definitely no overhead sprinkling or late day watering! Keep those leaves dry and avoid any possibly contaminated soil splash up.

Remove any suspect plant ASAP before spores can form or leaves fall, Bag and Trash, don't compost.

Latest from UMD Extension
http://extension.umd.edu/learn/impatiens-downy-mildew

Spring was good here, but I've already way lowered my expectations and efforts for summer and fall, as in can't 'fail' if don't try!

I've been away from the forum for a few months, but I'm happy to report that I saw no sign of the disease at all this past growing season in my containers or in the plants I had in the ground - the year before all my store bought impatiens were infected by mid summer. I did start them all from seed this past year, so I may try that again this year and see if my luck holds.

That is just astounding, this mildew usually persist in the soil for years.

The Good Lord provides. When faced with such a "blockade," just reinvent your garden. This is an opportunity to spread your wings, and accept another look in your garden. This is what is GREAT about gardening. No telling what treasured memories are waiting for you with the new planting! I send best wishes for happy gardening to you. You have the earth, and now you have a great challenge!

The only time this philosophy did NOT work for me was when I moved to Arizona, from Virginia. Sure didn't like not having a vegetable garden, or lack of Tulips and Cherry Blossoms. But I learned to appreciate the incredible, fleeting, Spring bloom in the Desert...oh yes indeedy I did!

Sure happy to be back in Virginia, with vegetable garden firmly awaiting "orders" for this Spring.

I did use mostly the "Sunny Lady" variety of impatiens seed - maybe they are more resistant than the others?