Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Pink and Blue

Pretty Impatiens looking wonderfully Pink and Blue, just before they get pulled out in the autumn tidy up that is.

Impatiens balfourii
Filler plants, that's what they are. I wasn't intending on letting them stay for any longer than this season but I must say they are both looking wonderfully pretty at this time of the year.

Neither of them are herbaceous or root hardy here but the pink one reliably self seeds and lots of little ones sprout within the vicinity of the original plant next spring. I weed out all but one or two seedlings, and let that chosen one to carry on growing for the rest of the growing season.

Even if I don't pull them out the frosts will get them anyway. There has been a distinctive nip in the air lately and the presence of autumn is now unmistakeable. No frosts yet but it won't be long now before the first one arrive (although a delayed arrival will be most welcome).


Impatiens namchabarwensis
But the tidy up has now begun, and just because they look pretty they have to stay. I'm not even sure if I want at least the pink one back again next year, all the seedlings may have to be pulled out too (depends on my mood then).

They are pretty and that's good enough as fillers. Good enough for this year at least. I'll try something else next year.

Variety is the spice of life.

Mark

9 comments :

  1. They do look pretty Mark. I don't do annuals, although I think some are really lovely. I like everything to come back on it's own and it saves me money too. :) It's hard to let things go though, but I always tell myself that times come that I have to move along to other things.

    Cher Sunray Gardens

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  2. Ah, the gardener's dilemma. It's healthy, and quite pretty, BUT do I really want it? It is made all the harder because we spend so much time struggling to grow the things we want and when something is hardy, or self seeds, or is healthy and flourishes, it is really hard to put one's hand around it and kill it. LOL

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  3. Indeed Cher. Although some plants look good and worth a longer stay it's sometimes much better to move on and try other things.

    Hazel, you hit the nail on the head there! Gardener's dilemma indeed,but with so many choices out there sometimes it's best to just close your eyes and rip it out....

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  4. Love the bluish-purple one - and that name, "namchabarwensis"!

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  5. Mark, I love, love, love the blue impatiens. For me it is hard to find blue flowering plants for the garden and yours is just perfect. I have to research if this particular variety would grow here in Southern California. You can get rid of the pink one, but please keep the blue ;-)!
    Christina

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  6. I think the blue one is very elegant and earns its place very well.

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  7. College Gardener, Christina, Martin, looks like the blue one is proving more popular and favoured as I thought. Will give it a second thought if I'll keep it or not :)

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  8. Wow! They are lovel!!!. It's not the type of impatiens that we normally see here ;-)

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  9. They are rather unusual indeed Stephanie :)

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