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Annuals/Impatients

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Expert: - 10/22/2006


Question
I live in Ft. Lauderdale and just bought a flat-box of impatients - please let me know what distance apart I should plant each one to achieve low, full bodied growth?  Thank you.
Brenda

Answer
Impatiens can grow into small shrubs if you have them long enough and grow them with a little care.  The closest you should plant them if you are going to do that is 18 inches.  They are so easy and so cooperative, I can't even warn you about mistakes to avoid - except, perhaps, spidermites, which may not even be a problem in your Florida humidity.  Up North here, they are the bane of the winter windowgarden.  In the beautiful Sunshine State, however, I don't even think this is a problem.

If you fertilize, make sure you use one with a High Phosphorous rating.  Look at the side of the container for the N-P-K analysis.  The middle number - the "P" - should be the biggest.  That's the one that will give you lots of flowers.  If you use one with a lot of "N" Nitrogen, you may be doomed to a lush-leaved but flower-less summer.

Thanks for writing.  Anything else today?

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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