FInd the connection - thinkypedia.com FInd the connection Answer the questions and find the link 1. Which England international footballer started his footballing career at Canadian club Calgary Foothills FC? 2. How are twin sisters Monica and Gabriela Irimia better known in the music world? 3. Which famous song includes the line "my shavin' razor's cold and it stings"? 4. Who is the chubbiest out of all of Snow White's seven dwarfs? 5. Which Liverpool player is currently the record FA Cup final goalscorer, with 5 goals to his name? 6. Which two word rhyming name is the common name for the plant called the Impatiens Walleriana? 7. Which former Big Brother contestant who was famous for quotes such as "what is the opposite of opposite?" and "do fish get thirsty?" and later went on to present "Braniac: Science Abuse" on Sky television? 8. Which song gave Vic Reeves and The Wonder Stuff a number one hit in 1991? 9. Which 1999 Oscar winning film was directed by Mike Leigh and starred Jim Broadbent as Gilbert of Gilbert and Sullivan fame? 10.

What is the connection? Impatiens: How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Impatiens | The Old Farmer's Almanac How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Impatiens White and orange impatiens Rate this Article: Average: 3.7 (204 votes) Impatiens is a beautiful annual that makes an excellent houseplant or summer bedding plant. It is also known as “Busy Lizzie” and its name is a Latin word that describes the way its seeds shoot out of its pods when ripe (the slightest touch can make a ripe impatiens seed pod burst open and scatter its seeds). Impatiens like shade and moisture. Planting Plant impatiens transplants after the last spring frost in humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil. Make sure the plants have some shelter from the wind. The closer impatiens plants are, the taller they will grow, so space accordingly (impatiens plants can grown anywhere between 6 and 30 inches tall). For flower beds, plant 8 to 12 inches apart so the plants will stay low to the ground. You can mix in compost or a slow-release fertilizer before transplanting to help the plants.

If you have impatiens plants in containers, use a sterile or soil-less growing mixture to ensure better drainage for the plants. Care The most important thing to remember about impatiens plants is to water them regularly. Keep them moist, but not too wet. If the plants dry out, they will lose their leaves. If you over-water the plants, this could encourage fungal diseases. Remember container plants will need more water. Pests/Diseases Impatiens Flowers: Growing Tips, Best Types to Plant Updated February 28, 2016. Taxonomy and Plant Type for Impatiens Flowers There are many kinds of impatiens flowers (sometimes misspelled as "impatience" or "impatients"). Plant taxonomy classifies one of the more popular species as Impatiens walleriana, which includes the series of 'Super Elfin' cultivars . "Busy Lizzy" is one of the common names for this plant (the origin of which presumably lies in how "busy" this prolific bloomer is at producing blossoms), although this is a case where the scientific genus name is so widely used that it has virtually become a common name.

The impatiens commonly sold at nurseries in North America are hybrids and treated as annual plants . They are native to tropical Africa -- where they are perennials -- and easily damaged by frosts (which is why here, in the North, the traditional time for planting them is Memorial Day , when danger of frost has passed). The plants belong to the balsam family. Description, Sun and Soil Requirements, Plant Care The widely grown cultivars of impatiens flowers are typically short plants, attaining a height of not more than 1 foot. continue reading below our video Double Your Closet Space with 3 Simple Tricks Some, such as the 'Super Elfin' series, stay much shorter (thus their popularity -- and their name). Impatiens flowers come in a variety of colors, including white, red, pink, violet, coral and purple. Even a yellow cultivar has recently been developed. Grow impatiens flowers in well-drained soil enriched by humus . Although they can, with sufficient water, be grown in partial sun in northerly regions, their great virtue is that they thrive in the shade.

In fact, they're among the relatively few readily-available, inexpensive flowering plants that will put on a great floral display even when grown in full shade . If they start looking leggy late in the summer, introduce them to a pair of scissors, as trimming off the top third of their vegetation will not only promote the emergence of new blooms, but also improve the overall appearance of the plants. One possible cause for legginess is over-fertilization. This plant does not need to be fertilized very much; if you do wish to give it a boost, a slow-release fertilizer (applied at planting time in late spring or early summer) is best. Uses in the Yard, Downy Mildew Disease, Origin of the Name Impatiens flowers have been one of the dominant bedding plants in North America, especially for shaded areas. They are also used in container gardens , ranging from hanging baskets to window boxes . Many growers prefer the "New Guinea" type (I. hawkeri) for use in containers, considering it to be a showier plant, especially in terms of its foliage (New Guineas can also take a little more sunshine than can the walleriana species).

But the biggest advantage of the New Guinea type is its resistance to impatiens downy mildew (IDM). According to Michelle Grabowski, at the University of Minnesota Extension, this disease is caused by a pathogen called Plasmopara obducens . In the wake of the spread of this disease, switching over to New Guineas became a no-brainer. A relatively recent hybrid put out by the folks at Sakata, going by the brand name, SunPatiens®, is said to be suitable for both full sun and partial shade . Suzanne Klick at the University of Maryland Extension states that SunPatiens® is resistant to impatiens downy mildew . Impatiens flowers take their name from the Latin, impatiens, meaning "impatient." They are so called because their ripe seed pods will sometimes burst open from even a light touch (as if they were impatient to open). This characteristic is especially apparent in a relative named, "jewelweed," indigenous to eastern North America. (see below).

Jewelweed: Impatiens Flowers of the North Although jewelweed shares some similarities with the impatiens flower sold at nurseries, most gardeners would not confuse the two (at maturity). The former, a weed, easily becomes gangly-looking. Its blooms, furthermore, are totally different from those on the impatiens used in landscaping. But they do both have telltale juicy stems. There are two types of jewelweed: Spotted jewelweed or "spotted touch-me-not" (I. capensis) is orange Pale jewelweed or "pale touch-me-not" (I. pallida) is yellow The nickname, "touch-me-not" refers, again, to the tendency of the ripe seed pod to burst apart at the slightest touch. Jewelweed is not usually considered an attractive plant. But more significant than its appearance is its use as a natural treatment for poison ivy . Familiarity Breeds Contempt: Are Impatiens Overused? Impatiens flowers have much to offer, including shade-tolerance, long-lasting blooms and brightly colored blossoms that come in a variety of colors. So what's not to like?

If there's a knock on them in some circles, it's that they're so common: impatiens is a victim of its own success. But don't let the claim that this or that plant is "overused" hold too much sway over your buying decisions as an amateur gardener. It's important not to let other people dictate your plant-purchase decisions for you. Garden snobs who write snarky blogs may look down their noses at the idea of planting so-called overused plants such as impatiens, but remember this: such gardeners are writing for each other, to impress each other, to out-snark each other. The way I see it, people who proclaim, with an air of authority, that such-and-such a plant is overused are trying to limit my gardening choices. They think that I will cower before their high and mighty pronouncement and avoid planting the specimen in question, for fear of being perceived as a low-class gardener. They don't know me. Before purchasing a plant, I evaluate it objectively, on its own merits, and in the context of my goals and my own design needs.

If a particular color of impatiens, for example, helps fill a need for me in a flower border , and if the growing conditions there are right for it, I may well use it. The question is whether I like the flower and whether it "works" for that spot, not how many other people grow the same plant. Applying the "overused" logic (or lack thereof) to every plant purchase would entail renouncing some of the world's most beautiful plants. Impatiens Tale Of 2012 > Sally Says > In The Garden > Lockwood's Greenhouses & Nursery Impatiens Tale of 2012 by Sally Cunningham (from Buffalo News article, October, 2012) If you depend upon Impatiens for all-season color in your containers or garden, you may have been disappointed this past summer. If your impatiens went down fast, it probably wasn’t the fault of the grower, the garden center, the droughty season, or your own failing. The problem was a virulent strain of a water mold called downy mildew that has destroyed impatiens production in Europe and South Africa, and now has been confirmed in twenty states in America.

Homeowners and businesses that expected masses of flowers instead saw masses of dying, ugly plants. Not all impatiens are alike, and this disease only infects some of them. Impatiens walleriana is the victim, known to many people as the old-fashioned impatiens they buy in flats, or as balsam or jewelweed. Newer cultivars of I. walleriana such as double impatiens, Fusion and Spellbound are also susceptible. Fortunately all the New Guinea type impatiens are not affected, including the Sonic and Supersonic series, Sunpatiens, and the Divine series. 2013 may be the year of New Guinea impatiens. The Disease Story All diseases require three elements to succeed: the pathogen, the environment it requires, and susceptible organisms. In the case of downy mildew, the organism is the impatiens crop. The pathogen (or inoculum) consists of aerial spores that settle on plants. In 2011 downy mildew exploded in Florida and hurricane winds rapidly dispersed those spores along the East coast.

The environment for the spores to germinate is cool, moist conditions (temperatures from 59° F to 73° F and either rain or overhead watering, especially late in the day). Since WNY had a dry summer, and the mold thrived anyway, scientists shudder to imagine what could happen in a season with more cool, wet weather. Impatiens downy mildew also produces oospores that can survive through winter on plant debris above or below ground. So any soil where infected impatiens has grown is probably unsuitable for this crop for many years. What You Saw In greenhouses and garden centers, most impatiens looked healthy well into summer. In those controlled situations growers have products that manage disease outbreaks in early stages, and wind-blown spores aren’t likely to land on the plants. When you bought and planted the impatiens flats or 4-inch pots at home—that’s when they were at risk. In two or three weeks the plants showed pale green or yellowing leaves, some mottled foliage, and eventually wilting, stunted growth, distorted leaves, severe leaf drop and total plant collapse. Light grey or white fuzz under some leaves is the definitive sign.

Until we received word about this problem from Cornell and horticulture industry scientists, your CNLP (Certified Nursery & Landscape Professional), garden center experts or Master Gardener volunteers might have diagnosed several other common problems of impatiens: under-watering, over-watering, lack of fertilizer or spider mites. Now we know. Prevent and Limit Diseases For home gardeners or landscapers, some general principles can minimize the effect of this or another disease: - Avoid mass planting of anything. Mono-cultures incur risk of a single species problem; diversity is good. - Water at the base of plants if possible, rather than sprinkle all the foliage. - Water early in the day if possible, so the garden can dry out before nightfall. - Thin out crowded plantings; lack of air circulation favors some diseases. - Do not compost diseased plants, but discard in garbage bags or bury them in a deep hole. In the impatiens case, plants in brighter areas fared better than plants in deep shade. The Future of Impatiens Wendell Ireland, Greenhouse Manager for W.D.

Henry and Sons, will probably cut his impatiens crop in half for 2013 but isn’t giving up on them completely, since a lot of the gardening public still will want those flats. "I think impatiens in containers won’t have as many problems as in the ground. And so much depends on weather conditions. Certainly, we’ll focus on some alternative shade garden choices… In this business it’s always a guessing game." Jill Kisker, head grower for Lockwood’s Greenhouses, will also cut back or cut out some of the susceptible impatiens lines in favor of more begonias, more New Guinea impatiens cultivars, and some other less-known annuals. (Plan to be surprised next spring.) One industry advisor suggests we all should try using some of the so-called Part Sun plants even in shade, and we may be surprised. Frank Mischler (Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouse, Williamsville) also expects to cut back impatiens production severely, and his growers also have some ideas about great substitutes for color in shady areas. Ironically, for this grower the change isn’t as drastic as it might have been.

Frank explained, "After the October Surprise storm of 2006 (almost exactly six years ago) many of our customers reported that their trees were gone, and so was their shade. So we stopped growing quite as many shade plants!" Finally, the public will decide how many Impatiens walleriana are bought and planted. Many people don’t read gardening publications, websites or blogs, and won’t even know what hit the impatiens last season, so there will be some demand. Cornell University Plant Pathologist, Marge Daughtrey, told an industry audience that "Impatiens avoidance behavior will largely be seen for the first time in 2013… The amount of inoculum available in the trade and in the garden beds will interact with the spring weather patterns to determine what will happen next year—and those are all unknowns." We’re not writing off impatiens completely. The Take-home Lesson As consumers, let’s respect the risk that plant growers and farmers must take—weather, disease, insects, animals and a fickle and ever-changing marketplace.

One year the drought kills the corn crop, another year the October storm hits, snow collapses the greenhouse, a rumor kills the poinsettia business, an insect tackles the Christmas trees, or a disease hits the impatiens or lilies. It’s not easy to grow living things. Buy from local growers and farms. © 2017 Lockwood's Greenhouses & Nursery Unusual Flowers and Plants Unusual Flowers and Plants Black bat flower Facts Bat flower Bat Flower Tacca chantrieri, the black bat flower, is a species of flowering plant in the yam family Dioscoreaceae. Tacca chantrieri is an unusual plant in that it has black flowers. These flowers are somewhat bat-shaped, are up to 12 inches across, and have long 'whiskers' that can grow up to 28 inches. There are ten species in the genus Tacca. One of these, T. integrifolia, is commonly called the "white bat plant." T. integrifolia is similar to T. chantrieri, but has white bracts which are veined purple. T. integrifolia is larger than T.

chantrieri, reaching up to four feet in height (almost twice the size of T. chantrieri at a height of 24"-36"). (Wikipedia) A bat-flower Image source: photobucket.com rebloggy.com pinterest.com Black Bat Plant Black Bat Plant Even prior to blooming, the Black Bat Plant resembles sleeping bats hanging downward from their roost. Image source & Reference: eyeonlifemag.com Epiphyllum oxypetalum (Queen of the night) The flowers that bloom for a single night only. Epiphyllum (/ˌɛpᵻˈfɪləm/; "upon the leaf" in Greek) is a genus of 19 species of epiphytic plants in the cactus family (Cactaceae), native to Central America. Common names for these species include climbing cacti, orchid cacti and leaf cacti, though the latter also refers to the genus Pereskia. The stems are broad and flat, 1–5 cm broad, 3–5 mm thick, usually with lobed edges. The flowers are large, 8–16 cm diameter, white to red, with numerous petals.

The fruit is edible, very similar to the pitaya fruit from the closely related genus Hylocereus, though not so large, being only 3–4 cm long. The broad-leaved epiphyllum (Epiphyllum oxypetalum) is particularly well-known. It bears large, strongly fragrant flowers that bloom for a single night only.(Wikipedia) Epiphyllum oxypetalum (曇花) (Dutchman's pipe or Queen of the night) is a species of cactus and one of the most cultivated species in the genus. Though it is sometimes referred to as a nightblooming cereus, it is not closely related to any of the species in the tribe Cereeae, such as Selenicereus, that are more commonly known as nightblooming cereus. All Cereus bloom at night and are terrestrial plants; all Epiphyllum are epiphytic. (Wikipedia) References: Wikipedia Pitcher plant Nepenthes Sarraceniaceae Pitcher plants Pitcher plants are several different carnivorous plants which have modified leaves known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive fluid liquid.

The traps of what we consider to be "true" pitcher plants are created from modified leaves; however they are not simply folded into a tube, and the process is far more complicated. The term "pitcher plant" generally refers to members of the Nepenthaceae and Sarraceniaceae families, but similar pitfall traps are employed by the monotypic Cephalotaceae and some members of the Bromeliaceae. The families Nepenthaceae and Sarraceniaceae are the most species-rich families of pitcher plants. (Wikipedia) Nepenthes muluensis ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- The Difference Between Upper, Lower and Climbing Pitchers on Nepenthes The lower pitchers are produced on the lower growth, and the upper pitchers are produced in the upper growth (the vining stem). A younger plant (or new basal growth) will only produce lower pitchers, and as it matures and reaches its vining stage, it will grow upper pitchers on those vines. Lower pitchers are typically larger, more colourful, and more elaborate (some species have "wings"). They are formed on the basal growth of the plant.

They usually have their pitcher openings on the same side as the tendril. Upper pitchers are usually more slender, and less colourful. They have their openings facing away from the tendril. Since these pitchers are produced on mature vines, the tendrils often have curl in it that will grasp onto branches for support. From an evolutionary point of view, the leaf dimorphism probably evolved, as each section of the plant is exposed to different conditions. My hypothesis is that lower pitchers are produced on growth that is close to the ground. As the pitchers normally rest on the ground, they can grow larger as they have the support to do so. Upper pitchers, since they are suspended in the air, are limited in how large they can grow, as heavy pitchers will probably break off too easily. I think that the structural differences also attract different type of prey, but thats just a guess. References: Wikipedia Rafflesia Obligate parasite (Holoparasite,) Rafflesia Rafflesia is a genus of parasitic flowering plants. It contains approximately 28 species (including four incompletely characterized species as recognized by Willem Meijer in 1997), all found in southeastern Asia, in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

Rafflesia was found in the Indonesian rain forest by an Indonesian guide working for Dr. Joseph Arnold in 1818, and named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the leader of the expedition. It was discovered even earlier by Louis Deschamps in Java between 1791 and 1794, but his notes and illustrations, seized by the British in 1803, were not available to western science until 1861. The plant has no stems, leaves or true roots. It is a holoparasite of vines in the genus Tetrastigma (Vitaceae), spreading its absorptive organ, the haustorium, inside the tissue of the vine. The only part of the plant that can be seen outside the host vine is the five-petaled flower. In some species, such as Rafflesia arnoldii, the flower may be over 100 centimetres (39 in) in diameter, and weigh up to 10 kilograms (22 lb). Even one of the smallest species, R. baletei, has 12 cm diameter flowers.

The flowers look and smell like rotting flesh, hence its local names which translate to "corpse flower" or "meat flower" (see below). The foul odor attracts insects such as flies, which transport pollen from male to female flowers. Most species have separate male and female flowers, but a few have hermaphroditic flowers. Little is known about seed dispersal. However, tree shrews and other forest mammals eat the fruits and disperse the seeds. Rafflesia is the official state flower of Indonesia, the Sabah state in Malaysia, and of the Surat Thani Province, Thailand. The name "corpse flower" applied to Rafflesia can be confusing because this common name also refers to the titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) of the family Araceae. Moreover, because Amorphophallus has the world's largest unbranched inflorescence, it is sometimes mistakenly credited as having the world's largest flower. Both Rafflesia and Amorphophallus are flowering plants, but they are only distantly related. Rafflesia arnoldii has the largest single flower of any flowering plant, at least in terms of weight. A.

titanum has the largest unbranched inflorescence, while the talipot palm (Corypha umbraculifera) forms the largest branched inflorescence, containing thousands of flowers; the talipot is monocarpic, meaning the individual plants die after flowering. (Wikipedia) References: Wikipedia Amorphophallus titanum Amorphophallus List of publicised titan arum blooms in cultivation Amorphophallus titanum (Corpse Flower) Amorphophallus titanum (from Ancient Greek amorphos, "without form, misshapen" + phallos, "phallus", and titan, "giant"), known as the titan arum, is a flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world. The titan arum's inflorescence is not as large as that of the talipot palm, Corypha umbraculifera, but the inflorescence of the talipot palm is branched rather than unbranched.

Due to its odor, which is like the smell of a rotting animal, the titan arum is characterized as a carrion flower, and is also known as the corpse flower, or corpse plant (Indonesian: bunga bangkai – bunga means flower, while bangkai can be translated as corpse, cadaver, or carrion). For the same reason, the title corpse flower is also attributed to the genus Rafflesia which, like the titan arum, grows in the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia.

Corpse Flower or Giant Corpse Flower can refer to: Carrion flowers or stinking flowers, any flower that emits an odor that smells like rotting flesh Rafflesia, genus which contains the species Rafflesia arnoldii, the largest single flower in the world Amorphophallus titanum, species, also known as the Titan arum, which has the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world (Wikipedia) The biggest flower in the world - Titan Arum - David Attenborough - BBC wildlife Amorphophallus titanum reekoscience.com The amazing Snapdragon Flower Seed Pod looks like a human skull Antirrhinum (Snapdragons) Antirrhinum is a genus of plants commonly known as dragon flowers or snapdragons because of the flowers' fancied resemblance to the face of a dragon that opens and closes its mouth when laterally squeezed. They are native to rocky areas of Europe, the United States, and North Africa.

(Wikipedia) The Snapdragon flower (aka Antirrhinum or dragon flower) can be found in many household gardens and gets its name from its flower which resembles a dragon’s head (squeeze the snapdragon flower and the “dragon” mouth will open and close making it “talk”). Yet once the flower has died it leaves behind a seed pod with the macabre appearance of a human head. (reekoscience.com) Antirrhinum majus Impatiens psittacina: The Thailand Parrot Flower Impatiens psittacina (Parrot Flower) Impatiens psittacina, known variously as the "parrot flower" or "parrot balsam" is a species of balsam from Southeast Asia that was described by the botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker and was noted for its flower that resemble a "flying cockatoo". It is known from Thailand, Burma and parts of India (Wikipedia) Impatiens niamniamensis, common name Congo cockatoo or Parrot Impatiens, is a species of flowering plant in the family Balsaminaceae.

Impatiens is a genus of about 850 to 1,000 species of flowering plants, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and the tropics. Together with the genus Hydrocera, Impatiens make up the family Balsaminaceae. Common names include impatiens, jewelweed, touch-me-not, snapweed, patience, and, for Impatiens walleriana in Great Britain, "busy lizzie", as well as, ambiguously, balsam. As a rule-of-thumb, "jewelweed" is used exclusively for Nearctic species, "balsam" is usually applied to tropical species, and "touch-me-not" is typically used in Europe and North America. (Wikipedia) References: Wikipedia Physalis alkekengi Category: Physalis alkekengi Physalis alkekengi (Chinese Lantern) Physalis alkekengi (bladder cherry, Chinese lantern, Japanese-lantern, strawberry groundcherry, or winter cherry;Japanese: hōzuki，中文：酸浆，姑娘，菇茑，姑鸟儿) is a relative of P.

peruviana (Cape gooseberry), easily identifiable by the larger, bright orange to red papery covering over its fruit, which resemble paper lanterns. It is native from southern Europe east across southern Asia to Japan. It is an herbaceous perennial plant growing to 40–60 cm tall, with spirally arranged leaves 6–12 cm long and 4–9 cm broad. The flowers are white, with a five-lobed corolla 10–15 mm across, with an inflated basal calyx which matures into the papery orange fruit covering, 4–5 cm long and broad. and "touch-me-not" is typically used in Europe and North America. (Wikipedia) Chinese Lantern flowers are not native to China. Rather, this perennial originates from southeastern Europe and Japan. It gets it's name from the distinctive color and shape of the papery husk, which resembles a Chinese (or Japanese) Lantern. This novel plant grows up to two feet tall, producing white, 5-petaled flowers in mid summer. The flowers give way to a light green, lantern-shaped husk with a berry inside.

As it matures, the husk turns a bright orange-red color, and the husk turns papery. ( Growing Chinese Lantern Flowers ) Physalis alkekengi (Chinese lantern) The golden age of impatiens may be over The golden age of impatiens may be over | Apr 20, 2013 | Vote 0 0 The golden age of impatiens may be over IMPATIENS The Hamilton Spectator This might be the summer to look for an alternative to impatiens, which has been hit with a widespread disease. next play/pause pre Hamilton Spectator Impatiens are cheerful, mounded annuals that provide precious and steady floral display in shadier corners of the patio and border and look great in containers. But they are so good, folks with sun-robbed yards don’t think to plant much else. This year, they might have to. A widespread and devastating disease, impatiens downy mildew, escaped the controlled environment of the growers’ greenhouse two years ago and has spread virulently to 35 states and Ontario. The official advice is that if your impatiens melted and died abruptly last year, skip them for this growing season.

Even if they didn’t, planting them will be a big risk as humid and moist conditions will promote the downy mildew in the months ahead. Finding them might also be tough: The disease is so devastating that some nurseries are not selling them in 2013 and major growers have cut back impatiens production drastically. In the past 50 years impatiens have become one of the major bedding annuals by volume and dollar value as breeders figured out how to grow impatiens that were bushier and had more flower punch. Homeowners and commercial landscapers developed a large appetite for them. “It’s one of our most popular annuals, second for us only to petunias,” said Gary Mangum, whose company in Elkridge, Md., Bell Nursery, supplies Home Depot retailers in much of the Mid-Atlantic. His growers have reduced impatiens production by more than 50 per cent this spring. Meadows Farms, a major garden centre retailer with 22 locations in the D.C. region, announced it was not selling disease-prone impatiens this year. Usually, the plant represents 30 per cent of its sales in annuals.

“People don’t understand the extent of the problem,” said Barry Perlow, a designer at Meadow Farms Landscaping in Chantilly, Va. “By planting them, they’ll be compounding the problem. The spores live for years.” Even if everyone were to stop growing impatiens — an unlikely scenario — a moratorium might do little to block the disease, said Margery Daughtrey, a plant pathologist at Cornell University, because its spores appear to survive on other host plants. Daughtrey said the golden age of the impatiens may be over. “Long-term, I think we’ll see impatiens being a minor bedding plant instead of a major bedding plant,” she said. “This is something that has changed it from a plant with almost no diseases or insect problems to a plant with a real Achilles heel.” The disease affects common garden impatiens, hybrids of a species called Impatiens walleriana. The more sun-tolerant New Guinea impatiens are bred from a different species and are tolerant to the disease. In the early stages, the leaves begin to curl and develop a yellow cast.

This often leads to a white fuzz on the underside of leaves — hence “downy” — followed by leaf and flower drop and, finally, a collapse of the fleshy stems. “The spores of the fungus can survive (the winter) in the soil and can survive on some weed hosts,” said Adria Bordas, horticultural extension agent for Fairfax County, Va. She advised against planting impatiens where you grew them last year, especially if they succumbed to the downy mildew. The spores travel in the air for miles and spread between plants in water on leaves, from rain or irrigation systems. The diseased plants on one property, unless they are pulled and bagged right away, are likely to infect neighbouring impatiens, Daughtrey said. The early presence of the disease takes some sleuthing: You have to turn up the underside of the leaf to detect the downy affect, which may be slight. Three or four weeks later, the plants may denude abruptly, causing homeowners to think chipmunks or deer are the problem, she said. “If you haven’t seen the disease before, you have a chance of being able to grow impatiens that are healthy,” she said.

That will depend on buying disease-free plants, the weather “and whether your neighbour’s plants are healthy.” I would avoid common garden impatiens this year, and this abstinence will have its own reward: It forces the shade gardener to try different plants. You might not attain the same simple floral show, but you can achieve more interesting effects with foliage and leaf colours. Apart from the New Guinea impatiens, Mangum suggests the common wax begonia or the showier Whopper variety or, my favourite, Dragon Wing. Some dazzling varieties of caladiums and coleus have been introduced in recent years, both of which grow steadily and heartily through the warm months until becoming preening beasts in September. Here are other shade-loving annuals for a season of ornament and bloom. New Guinea impatiens: Developed for sunny locations but happy in partial shade, New Guinea impatiens are larger than common garden impatiens, with fewer flowers but striking leaf forms and variegation. Petunias: Advances in petunias have produced self-cleaning, continuous-blooming hybrids. Happy in partial shade. Begonias: Wax begonias offer a blend of leaf and flower ornament.

Other begonias are grown more for their attractive foliage. Look for Whopper, Dragon Wing and Gryphon, the last a black-and-silver-leaf foliage plant. All work well in containers. Coleus: Grown for their leaf colouration and markings, coleus are as stunning as they are varied. Washington Post Bangalore Garden – Kota's family garden | A beautiful family garden in the Indian southern city of Bangalore Bangalore Garden – Kota's family garden Posted on July 2, 2013 by kotagarden We have planted few ornamental plants in our garden. I would like to introduce the first of it in today’s post. Our newest addition to our garden is a hybrid Coleus. We bought it in our recent visit to Yercaud , It’s a common ornamental plant and is easy to grow. Their key feature is that their leaves have very sharp contrasting colours. The Royal Horticultural Society website shows atleast 20 varieties of coleus plants. We have planted the coleus in a container and kept in a shaded area that gets only morning sun light. the plant has grown 2 feet+ in just two months time. Here are few pictures of the plant.

Posted on June 20, 2011 by kotagarden I promised to write about Allamanda in my introduction and here it is! There are two types of Allamanda widely seen in Bangalore. The first is the yellow Allamanda or the Golden Trumpet. The other one is the purple/violet Allamanda. I noticed the later one being more widely seen. Allamanda plants are also available as shrub and vine forms. Both have beautiful leathery leaves. They flower throughout the year but the peak flowering season is the late summer and monsoon months (May-August). It can be propagated easily by planing the branches and also sprouts come up around the main plant which can be re-planted. In terms of regular care, It’s very minimal. We have planted few years ago and have guided it to the space we planned. We don’t have much regular care apart from watering, pruning occasionally and removing dead branches. We never thought that just one plant can make such a difference to our landscape. But, Oh boy!, what a joy it has been. Just see the following pictures and you can see it for yourselves!

Our house in 2007 soon after we moved in Allamanda is about an year and half old Here is how it looks in 2011 summer Please share your feedback! Posted on March 4, 2011 by kotagarden Chrysanthemums are widely seen in India. They blossom throughout the year but the main season is between autumn to winter. It’s called Chamanthi in Southern India and is widely used in making garlands and in temple worships. We are not so successful in raising Chrysanthemums for the past two seasons. My wife was more determined this year and have planted 3 varieties this time. They are planted in the pots this time as opposed to planting on the ground. Here are few snaps I love balsams. The sheer amount of color it brings to the garden is phenomenal. There are two types are balsams that are widely seen 1. Garden Balsam: This is native balsam that is widely seen across India. This is also referred as Rose Balsam as the flowers are double-flowered. The plants grows about 2 feet in height with long, narrow leaves. The flowers are usually close to the stem.

These are annual plants which propagate by seeds. Scientific name: Impatiens Balsamina 2. Impatiens: This is single-flowered balsam with five petals. My observation is that impatiens have more color choice. The plant stems are fragile and hence form small bushes as opposed to growing tall. The flowers are at the ends of the stems and hence a visual delight. These are perennial plants. Scientific name: Impatiens walleriana. Hook. f We have the purple impatiens in our garden for last two years. We could never collect the seeds but new plants come all around the mother plant propagated through the seeds. We decided to plant more varieties this season in our garden. We were unsuccessful in our attempt to grow from seeds last season. So, We bought five different plants from a plant nursery on Sarjapur Road. They are planted on a shady patch of our garden. We are delighted with the first flowers from these plants.

Here are the pictures of various balsams Purple Impatiens Photo By: Photography by John Black ©Scripps Networks Interactive, Location Courtesy: Blackberry Farm Photo By: jeremyme Tuberous Begonias These are actually tender perennials typically grown as annuals. The upright forms make wonderful bedding plants; the pendulous ones look magnificent in hanging pots. The tubers should be planted in spring in rich soil or potting medium, with the concave side up and just the bottom half of the tuber buried. Once growth begins, apply 22-14-14 fertilizer every three weeks until flower buds begin to form. At that time, switch to 0-10-10 fertilizer, applied on the same schedule. Pick off flowers as they fade. When the plants begin to turn yellow in fall, withhold water. When the tops are completely dry, dig the tubers from the soil, and remove the tops. Dry them in the sun for a few days, then dust the tubers with sulfur powder or another fungicide to prevent rot. Store in paper containers in a cool, dry, dark place until planting time in spring.

Wax Begonias Semperflorens begonias (also called wax begonias and fibrous begonias) are excellent bedding plants grown as annuals. In mild climates they may be overwintered. These free-flowering plants require little or no deadheading. Grow them in partial shade or indirect bright light, and provide regular doses of fertilizer. Impatiens Walleriana Also known as busy Lizzie, this subshrubby perennial is usually grown as an annual, it requires filtered light or shade and a fast-draining soil rich in organic matter. If you plant from nursery six-packs, loosen the root ball gently, then place each plant in fresh potting soil, making sure you don't bury the crown of the plant. Water well after planting, then wait for the top 2" of soil to dry before watering again. Apply no fertilizer until plants begin to grow, then fertilize every two weeks with 0-10-10. Impatiens make good container or bedding plants. New Guinea Impatiens These hardy impatiens are a specific group of hybrids, are prized for their often dramatic foliage and bright flowers. They may be grown in sunny spots, unlike Impatiens walleriana.

Geraniums Most Pelargoniums, or geraniums, are perennials grown as annuals in cold-winter climates. Most prefer full sun, but in hot climates afternoon shade is appreciated. Keep plants on the dry side. Pelargoniums perform best in areas with warm, dry days and cool nights. They may be grown outdoors year-round in mild California climates. Elsewhere they're popular bedding, container or indoor plants. Move plants indoors before cold weather begins, or take cuttings for next year. For best results indoors, set near a sunny window. Pelargoniums require rich, fast-draining soil and frequent pinching back to keep plants bushy. They are subject to infestation of white fly, spider mites and geranium bud worm. Fertilize during active growth to increase flower production. Marigolds Marigolds (Tagetes) are easy, dependable annuals that require full sun and well-drained soil. Many types are available, ranging in size from a few inches to a few feet in height. Marigolds come in white, yellow, red, orange and combinations of those colors. Many believe that marigolds help repel insect pests, so they're often planted in and around vegetable patches.

Scarlet Sage Scarlet sage (Salvia splendens) is a perennial typically grown as an annual. Red cultivars should be grown in full sun; pastel varieties need a little shade. Keep plants deadheaded for continuous summer bloom. More from:

Question: Which two word rhyming name is the common name for the plant called the Impatiens Walleriana?
Answer: Busy Lizzie