Impatiens Impatiens walleriana Super Elfin Series

👤 Non-toxic to humans

🐾 Non-toxic to pets

🌸 Blooming

🍪 Not edible

‍🌱 Easy-care

ABOUT

The Impatiens Super Elfin Series, a popular garden favorite, is known for its vibrant and colorful flowers. This plant boasts an array of flower hues, including pink, red, coral, orange, purple, and white. The flowers have a typical impatiens shape—flat with a circular outline and possessing a small, distinctively curved spur. These blooms emerge prolifically, nearly covering the dark green foliage beneath. The leaves of the Impatiens Super Elfin Series are glossy, with a deep green color, and are generally oval, with a pointed tip and lightly serrated edges. Though rich in hue, the foliage often becomes a lush backdrop that accentuates the bright flowers. The plant has a tidy, mounding growth habit, which contributes to its appeal as a bedding plant often used in garden landscapes for a continuous splash of color. It is equally effective in containers, where it spills gently over the edges, creating an attractive display. These impatiens have been bred for both their ornamental quality and their resistance to common garden diseases, making them a reliable choice for gardeners seeking low-maintenance flowering plants. The Super Elfin Series is renowned for its uniformity and robust blooming capability, presenting an eye-catching, full appearance that is sure to enhance any garden setting it adorns.

Plant Info

Care

Common Problems

About this plant

Names
- Synonyms
  Busy Lizzie, Patience Plant, Balsam, Sultana
- Common names
  Impatiens walleriana Super Elfin Series, Impatiens sultanii, Impatiens holstii.
Toxicity
- To humans
  Impatiens, which is the most common common name for Impatiens walleriana Super Elfin Series, is generally considered non-toxic to humans. However, as with any plant material, some individuals may experience mild stomach upset or a skin reaction if they are particularly sensitive to the plant. Ingesting any part of the plant is not normally associated with serious poisoning or severe consequences in humans.
- To pets
  Impatiens, the most common common name for Impatiens walleriana Super Elfin Series, is also generally considered non-toxic to pets. Ingesting this plant should not cause any serious symptoms of poisoning in pets such as cats or dogs. However, pets with specific sensitivities may experience mild gastrointestinal upset if they consume parts of the plant.
Characteristics
- Life cycle
  Annuals
- Foliage type
  Evergreen
- Color of leaves
  Green
- Flower color
  Varies
- Height
  6-12 inches (15-30 cm)
- Spread
  12-24 inches (30-61 cm)
- Plant type
  Herb
- Hardiness zones
  10
- Native area
  East Africa

Benefits

General Benefits
- Easy to Grow: Impatiens walleriana Super Elfin Series is known for being easy to cultivate and maintain, making it a great choice for beginner gardeners.
- Continuous Blooming: The plant has a long flowering period, often from spring until the first frost, providing a consistent display of color in the garden.
- Shade Tolerance: Unlike many flowering plants, impatiens thrive in shady areas where other flowers might struggle to grow.
- Vibrant Colors: The Super Elfin Series comes in a wide range of bright colors, which can enhance the aesthetic appeal of any garden space.
- Dense Foliage: Its lush leaves fill in garden spaces quickly, providing a thick, green backdrop for the colorful flowers.
- Compact Size: The compact growth habit of Super Elfin Series impatiens makes them ideal for container gardening and borders.
- Low Pest and Disease Risk: These plants are relatively resistant to pests and diseases, which reduces the need for chemical treatments.
- Versatility: They can be used in a variety of landscaping designs, including hanging baskets, window boxes, and bedding displays.
- Attracts Pollinators: While not their key benefit, impatiens can attract certain pollinators like butterflies, aiding in the pollination of nearby plants.
Medical Properties
This plant is not used for medical purposes.
Air-purifying Qualities
This plant is not specifically known for air purifying qualities.
Other Uses
- Impatiens can be used as a natural dye, providing color to fabrics and crafts when petals are boiled down to extract their pigment.
- These plants are sometimes utilized in educational programs for children to teach them about pollination and plant growth cycles.
- Impatiens flowers can be a delicate addition to salads or desserts as an edible garnish, lending a slightly sweet taste and vibrant color to dishes.
- The flowers can also be pressed and used in art projects such as bookmarks or framed botanical art for home decoration.
- Certain cultures have used Impatiens in rituals and ceremonies for their bright colors and symbolism of patience.
- The seed pods of Impatiens can be used to demonstrate concepts of energy and motion in physics because they burst open when ripe and disturbed.
- Impatiens can be planted in animal habitat gardens, offering a nectar source for pollinators like butterflies and bees that contribute to ecosystem health.
- The vibrant flowers can be used as natural confetti to celebrate outdoor events in an environmentally friendly way, as they are biodegradable.
- As a component in sensory gardens, Impatiens' varied textures—including its blossoms and leaves—can be used to provide tactile experiences for visitors.
- Impatiens plants can be used for companion planting to increase the aesthetic appeal of vegetable gardens and potentially improve pollination.

Interesting Facts

Feng Shui
The Impatiens, also known as Busy Lizzie, is not specifically used in Feng Shui practice.
Zodiac Sign Compitability
The Busy Lizzie is not used in astrology practice.
Plant Symbolism
- Impatience: Impatiens, as their name suggests, symbolize impatience or restlessness, reflecting the way the plant’s seed pods burst open when ripe.
- Motherly Love: The protective nature of the plant, especially in its nurturing and shade-loving growth patterns, can represent a mother’s care.
- Affection: Given as a gift, impatiens can convey a gentle and tender affection toward someone.
- Transient Beauty: The relatively quick life cycle of the impatiens flower reminds us of the fleeting nature of beauty and life itself.

💧

Every 2-3 days

Water

☀️

2500 - 10000 Lux

Light

💦️

Humidity

🪴

Every year

Repotting

🌱️

Spring to Summer

Propogation

✂️️

As needed

Pruning

Water
Busy Lizzies should be watered regularly to maintain moist soil, especially during hot, dry periods, but be sure not to overwater which can lead to root rot. It's optimal to water them early in the morning using a watering can with a fine rose to avoid splashing the foliage directly, which can promote disease. Generally, watering once a day or every other day will suffice, but this can vary depending on the temperature and humidity. Always check the top inch of soil for dryness before watering. A guideline amount would be about 16-24 ounces of water for a standard pot every week, adjusting as necessary for the environment and plant size.
Light
Busy Lizzies thrive in bright, indirect light or partial shade. They should be placed in a spot where they receive morning light but are protected from the harsh afternoon sun. North or east-facing locations are generally ideal for these plants as they provide the desired light conditions without the risk of leaf scorch from too much direct sunlight.
Temperature
Busy Lizzies prefer a warm environment and should be kept in temperatures ranging from 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal growth. They can survive a minimum temperature of about 50 degrees Fahrenheit but will not tolerate frost. It's best to avoid placing them in areas where temperatures fluctuate widely, such as near air conditioning vents or drafty windows.
Pruning
Pruning Busy Lizzies is essential to encourage bushier growth and more flowers. It's best to prune them in the spring before the new growth starts by snipping off the top few inches of each stem. Routine pinching back of the tips every few weeks can also promote a fuller plant. Remove spent flowers and yellowing leaves as needed to maintain the plant's appearance and health.
Cleaning
As needed
Soil
Busy Lizzie (Impatiens walleriana Super Elfin Series) thrives in a well-draining, peat-based potting mix with perlite or vermiculite. Aim for a soil pH between 6.0 and 6.5. A balanced, moisture-retentive soil encourages healthy growth.
Repotting
Busy Lizzies should be repotted annually or when they outgrow their current pot. Repotting is typically done in the spring before the new growth starts.
Humidity & Misting
Busy Lizzie prefers high humidity levels, ideally between 50-70%. This plant can tolerate lower humidity but thrives with additional moisture in the air.
Suitable locations
- Indoor
  Place Busy Lizzie in bright, indirect light; keep soil moist.
- Outdoor
  Partial shade, moist soil, protect from hot afternoon sun.
- Hardiness zone
  10-11 USDA
Life cycle
The life of Impatiens walleriana, commonly known as Busy Lizzie, begins with seed germination, which occurs in moist, warm soil conditions; this can be enhanced by starting indoors. Following germination, seedlings emerge and undergo vegetative growth, developing leaves and stems which can be helped by moderate light and consistent watering. The plant goes on to establish a robust root system to support the lush foliage and flowering process. Busy Lizzie enters the flowering stage when appropriate light and temperature conditions are met, displaying colorful blooms that can last from spring until the first frost in the fall. After flowering, if pollination occurs, the plant produces seed pods that burst, dispersing seeds and completing the reproductive cycle. In winter or unfavorable conditions, the plants die, but the next generation sprouts from the self-sowed seeds or new seeds are planted the following season.
Propogation
- Propogation time
  Spring to Summer
- The most popular method of propagating Impatiens walleriana, commonly known as impatiens, is through stem cuttings. To propagate impatiens using this method, start by selecting healthy, non-flowering stems for the best results. Cut a 2 to 4-inch section of the stem just below a leaf node using a sharp, clean pair of scissors or pruning shears, which is roughly 5 to 10 centimeters in length. Remove the leaves from the lower half of the cutting to prevent rot, and dip the cut end into a rooting hormone to encourage root development. Plant the stem cutting in moist soil or a soilless potting mix, ensuring at least one set of leaves is above the surface. Place the potted cutting in a warm location with bright, indirect light and maintain consistent moisture. Roots usually form within a few weeks, at which point the new impatiens plant can be gradually acclimatized to its new environment and eventually transplanted outdoors if desired.