For glorious color in your home nearly all year long, plant pots with Busy Lizzies, mixing and matching hues for maximum impact and contrast. 

A popular and undemanding plant, busy Lizzie’s strong growth and profuse blooms in riotous colours make it a very decorative choice.

The botanical name Impatiens comes from the explosive and impatient way the seeds are expelled from pods. This is a characteristic of the Balsam family, to which the busy Lizzie belongs. In all, the genus has around 850 species, made up of annuals, evergreen perennials and sub-shrubs. All busy Lizzies have brittle stems and crisp, juicy succulent leaves that are oval and pointed, with slightly serrated edges. The leaves vary from light to dark green and some forms are variegated.

Flowers and Flowering
Busy Lizzie flowers for most of the year indoors, and all of the summer outdoors. Flowers may be in shades of pink, red, yellow, white and orange. Some are bi-colored and some have a double layer of petals.

Growth and size
Breeders have spent many years developing new, exciting varieties of Impatiens. Recently developed compact varieties are very popular. These plants rarely grow higher than 12 to 15 inches and make low-growing and bushy plants that produce lots of flowers. These busy Lizzies are
free-branching. Newer varieties do not need to be pinched out to encourage profuse and bushy growth.

Display Ideas
Busy Lizzies look good in most places. Indoors, these cheerful plants do best in bright but filtered light. Outdoors, busy Lizzies can give you a splendid display in containers such as tubs and hanging baskets. Keep your plants in shady situations, however, and don’t let them dry out completely in the heat of the day. You should be rewarded with a long-lasting splash of colour.

General Care
This easy-to-grow plant is ideal for beginners. Remove faded flowers and dead leaves. Pinch out non-compact varieties to encourage bushy growth. Pot busy Lizzie seedlings in multi-purpose potting compost. Repot in spring, but do not overpot, as they bloom better if they have crowded roots.

Watering and Feeding
Water your plants generously in summer, taking care not to allow the compost to dry out between waterings. During the winter months, water moderately, allowing the compost to dry out a little. You should apply a standard house plant fertiliser every 2 weeks during the growing period.

Conditions
Avoid placing your plant in direct sunlight, but do give it as much bright filtered light as possible. Normal room temperatures are adequate, but if the temperature goes above 75F, increase the level of humidity. In the winter months, don’t let the temperature fall below 55F.

BUYER’S GUIDE

When to buy: Buy in spring from garden centres and nurseries.

What to look for: Select healthy plants that are about to flower, or have plenty of buds. Check for signs of greenfly or red spider mite.

LIfespan: A busy Lizzie will last for years. If it gets straggly, renew it from cuttings.

Price: A handsome return for very little outlay.