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Annuals/IMPATIENTS AND GERANIUMS

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Expert: - 8/4/2008


Question
DEAR GARDENER,, IVE BEEN CLIPPING FROM MY IMPATIENTS ALL SUMMER AND STARTING NEW PLANTS FROM THE STEMS IVE CLIPPED,, MY ? IS HOW CAN I START NEW PLANTS FROM MY OLD ONES FOR NEXT YEAR,, THE WAY IM DOING IT NOW THEY GET TO BIG TO QUICK,,AND A ? ABOUT MY GERANIUMS,,, I BRING THEM IN FOR THE WINTER BUT  THEY SEEM TO GET REAL TWIGGY AND NOT DO WELL INSIDE ,,,I DO HAVE A FEW THAT IVE KEPT INSIDE AND REPLANTED IN THE SPRING BUT ANY TIPS ON BRINGING THESE IN FOR THE WINTER WOULD BE HELPFUL,,,THANK YOU ,,,,NEW GARDENER,,,CINDY

Answer
Sorry, but there's no easy answer for this beyond what you are doing so competently already.

Impatiens grow very well indoors on a Winter windowsill.  Biggest problem is Spidermites, mainly because the low humidity destroys the microscopic microbes that destroy the Spidermites.

Geraniums need full Sun.  It's almost impossible to give them the amount of Sun they need to thrive.  On the other hand, they just get bigger and bigger and bigger...  and Yes, they are leggy without the super-strong Sun to keep them compact.

Neither of these plants lends itself to dividing.  Unfortunately, I will have to leave my answer at that; it's just one of those things you can't improve on.  Not yet anyway.  Thanks for writing.  

Annuals

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Long Island Gardener

Expertise

Decisions, decisions... If you can't make up your mind which Annuals to grow, you're not alone. Problem with your new flowering Annuals flats? I`ve been there, done that. Petunias, Sweet Alyssum, Larkspur, Marine Blue Lobelia -- they all grow here at my house on Garden Street on Long Island, N.Y.. Cutting and Cottage Gardens, Sun and Shade Gardens, White Gardens and Night Gardens, I`ve done them all. Annuals are the perfect summer flower, bursting with color June through fall's first frost. I can`t speak on Cactus or tender Tropical Plants -- they don`t grow outside in my Zone 7. I`m no Farmer, so I cannot guide you on Fruits and Vegetables. But whether it`s an Annual you want to start from seed, mail-order or pick up at your local garden center, I can help you grow amazing blooms this Summer. Yes, together, we can turn your neighbors green with envy.

Experience

I have a lifetime of gardening behind me here on the North Shore of Long Island. While I have degrees in related fields, there's nothing like hands-on work to build real knowledge. I stay on top of current science -- there's a boom in research, and Kingdom Plantae is filled with surprises. By the way, I really do live on Garden Street.

Publications
Gannett newspapers, The New York Times, and hundreds of others - but not on Annuals.

Education/Credentials
B.A., botany; graduate credits in European Intellectual History and Political Science; minor coursework in related fields, docent training at our local botanical gardens (required for volunteers). I'm currently working on an advanced biochemistry degree.

Awards and Honors
I could tell you, but then you'd know who I am.

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