Can You Plant Impatiens Outside?

Getting Started

• Impatiens bedding plants are available at nearly any garden center or nursery during spring and early summer. Purchase small, compact plants with even, green color. Avoid impatiens plants with yellowing or brown leaves, or plants that appear spindly and overgrown.

Growing Conditions

• Impatiens are valued for their ability to grow in shade, but they need a few hours of sunlight in order to produce big, healthy blooms. Select a planting site where the plants are in broken shade under a tall tree, or where the plants are exposed to two to four hours of morning sunlight. Avoid hot afternoon sunlight. The best soil type for impatiens is rich and moist but well-drained.

Planting Impatiens

• To plant impatiens, use a trowel to dig a small hole for each plant. Remove the impatiens plant from the nursery container, then plant the impatiens at the same soil level the plant was located in the container. Planting too deeply may cause the impatiens to rot. Tamp the soil around the roots, then water lightly. To plant impatiens in a container, used a pot filled with regular commercial potting soil.

Water and Fertilizer

• Impatiens tolerate damp soil but do best if the soil dries slightly between each watering, as soggy soil may cause fungal problems. Provide impatiens planted in the ground with about 1 inch of water every week. Check potted impatiens daily, as the soil dries quickly. Potted impatiens may require daily water during summer. Impatiens in garden beds benefit from a monthly feeding, using a regular liquid fertilizer. Alternatively, mix a timed-release dry fertilizer into the soil at planting time. Potted impatiens need fertilizer more often, benefiting from a water-soluble fertilizer applied every other week.

General Maintenance

• Pinching the tips of newly planted impatiens results in full, well-branched plants. Continue to pinch the plants an extra two or three times, or as often as needed to attain the desired bushiness. Impatiens require no pruning, and unlike most annuals, spent blooms need not be removed. Pick up dropped leaves and blossoms and keep the soil around impatiens neat, as plant debris harbors fungal disease and provides a hiding place for pests.