Expert: Long Island Gardener - 6/13/2008

Question
I live in Vermont and just got my husband some flowers. Sonic orange impatiens, double impatiens, celosia and salvia. Will any of them come back next year? If not what can I do so I don't have to rebye them every year?

Answer
Impatiens of all colors can most definitely be saved through the year -- but you may find it inconvenient.

Celosia and Salvia are Annuals, unless you purchased a Blue Salvia, in which case write back and we'll discuss other options for the Salvia.  An Annual has an internal clock and a very short lifespan; it will not last more than a year by definition.  Their entire metabolism and life cycle is set up completely differently from perennials.  Can't do nothin' about it.

But Impatiens are another story totally.

Not only can you save your Impatiens, but you can MULTIPLY them, and this is incredibly easy to do.  These things multiply like Zebra Finches -- and if you don't have any idea how fast Zebras multiply, count your blessings.

First, let's look at how to take good care of your Impatiens for the Summer.

Impatiens need moderate light to shade.  Strong sun will do them in.  These are made for the shade.

To keep them healthy and growing strong, once every other week, take a single-edged razor blade out to the garden (or wherever you planted these) and slice off the last half inch of any stem that is longer than 3 inches.  That means you slice off the top half inch, and the ends of any side branches that are 3 inches or longer.  If they're blooming, slice anyway.

But...

The FIRST time you do this, when you get to the main stem, instead of cutting off the top half inch, cut off the top 2 inches!

We do this for a reason.

You take this little twig, remove any leaves around the bottom inch, and put it in a glass of water on the windowsill or on the porch, out of direct Sunlight.  In a week to 10 days you will see roots coming out of these pieces.  In 2 1/2 weeks, you can plant them in pots, in soil that is half vermiculite or sand and half good garden soil.  These will grow into full size plants and you'll have a big collection by the end of the Summer.

How's that for value?

Good, isn't it?

And Free!  Like that old gardener's saying goes, The best things in life are free.  Ain't it the truth.

For Winter, at the first sign of frost, bring your Impatiens into the house and keep on a windowsill.  Spray them at least once a week with water (or rinse leaves under lukewarm water) to avoid spidermites; even better, humidify the room to keep the spidermites from attacking.

Then at the end of the Winter, it will be time to set them out again.

Easy as pie.

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER