Garden

[DiAnne]

I have been buying wax leaf begonias the last couple of years instead of impatiens.  I have seen signs in nurseries warning people about impatiens but I may give them a try again next year. 

[lulu2]

We've switched to vinca instead of impatiens.  They are so much easier to take care of.  Even in our hot, dry summer, they are thriving both in pots and in the ground.

I love the variety of colors.

[blueroses47]

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@lulu2 wrote:

We've switched to vinca instead of impatiens.  They are so much easier to take care of.  Even in our hot, dry summer, they are thriving both in pots and in the ground.

I love the variety of colors.

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I've been thinking of substituting vinca too.  They seem very similar in look to impatiens.  Do you tend to get a good amount of flowers on them?  Also, do they do well in both shade and sun and do the deer eat them?  I can't believe the amount of flowers that are appealing to our deer.  Roses, lilies, hostas, even daisies.  They seem to leave begonias alone, and that's  one reason I switched to begonias.

[Gokat]

 New Guinea Impatiens still going strong here in WNY.  They're not susceptible to the disease problem.

[JustJazzmom]

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@blueroses47 wrote:

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@lulu2 wrote:

We've switched to vinca instead of impatiens.  They are so much easier to take care of.  Even in our hot, dry summer, they are thriving both in pots and in the ground.

I love the variety of colors.

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I've been thinking of substituting vinca too.  They seem very similar in look to impatiens.  Do you tend to get a good amount of flowers on them?  Also, do they do well in both shade and sun and do the deer eat them?  I can't believe the amount of flowers that are appealing to our deer.  Roses, lilies, hostas, even daisies.  They seem to leave begonias alone, and that's  one reason I switched to begonias.

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Flowering vinca is terrific and it mounds as they grow in full sun. From across the street it looks like you planted impatiens. I like them because of the dark eye in their centers. They are also called Madagascar Periwinkle because their flowers look similar in shape to periwinkle flowers. Their Latin name is Catharanthus rosea.

[blueroses47]

Thanks, justjazzmom, for replying.  I'm definitely going to try them next year as an impatiens substitute.  I think I may like them better than the begonias.  The begonias have lots of flowers, but they form little round mounds as they grow and I think I will like the leaves of the vinca better.  I always see the vinca in the nurseries, I don't know why I haven't used them before.  I do use a lot of the trailing vinca in with my annuals in my containers.  I love them, and I actually winter them over in an empty garden bed so that I don't have to buy new ones every year.

[JustJazzmom]

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@blueroses47 wrote:

Thanks, justjazzmom, for replying.  I'm definitely going to try them next year as an impatiens substitute.  I think I may like them better than the begonias.  The begonias have lots of flowers, but they form little round mounds as they grow and I think I will like the leaves of the vinca better.  I always see the vinca in the nurseries, I don't know why I haven't used them before.  I do use a lot of the trailing vinca in with my annuals in my containers.  I love them, and I actually winter them over in an empty garden bed so that I don't have to buy new ones every year.

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The trailing vinca is either Vinca Minor or Vinca Major and both are perennial. The vinca that is the impatiens substitute is an annual in most areas except more tropical areas like zones 10 & 11.

Annual vinca is one of the last annuals to appear at nurseries, and for the past few years has now been available in flats instead of 4" pots.

[Nataliesgramma]

I think that I will try the Vinca also next year......

[SahmIam]

Interesting thread. I planted window boxes (5) all with Impatiens from my local nursery. GOREGEOUS until 3 weeks ago and they they all went yellow and bald. WHAT HAPPENED?!

I was getting ready to toss them into the woods (food for Nature) when I noticed all new plants coming up from the base in all the planters. Flowers have reappeared on the bald (now with a few more leaves here and there). My in-laws have planted them for years and years and know they will reseed so I'm thinking this has happened. 

Was there a disease? I thought maybe this was their normal fall pattern (first time using them). 

Vinca.... hmm......

[MoJoV]

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@SahmIam wrote:

Interesting thread. I planted window boxes (5) all with Impatiens from my local nursery. GOREGEOUS until 3 weeks ago and they they all went yellow and bald. WHAT HAPPENED?!

I was getting ready to toss them into the woods (food for Nature) when I noticed all new plants coming up from the base in all the planters. Flowers have reappeared on the bald (now with a few more leaves here and there). My in-laws have planted them for years and years and know they will reseed so I'm thinking this has happened. 

Was there a disease? I thought maybe this was their normal fall pattern (first time using them). 

Vinca.... hmm......

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@Sahmlam for a few years impatiens was plage with some kind of downy mold.  I planted tgem and they all were dead in a few weeks.  This is the first year they've done well again. Hope its over.