Sakata

Sun-loving Impatiens

Written on June 10, 2010 at 4:49 pm
By Rebecca Christian

Yes,  you read that headline right. Impatiens with their whimsical names — Busy Lizzie and Patient Lucy — have long been known as sturdy shade-lovers that bring brilliant color to yards that are so sun-deprived they’re hopeless for just about anything else but hostas. Often you’ll see impatiens planted in a gay ring around the base of a beautiful old tree or in mass plantings, providing a carpet of color on the grounds of corporations.

Now Sakata has come out with SunPatiens, which the company bills as something new under the sun. These hardy little plants will root in two weeks versus the usual four. SunPatiens will thrive even in the most brutal sun and keep right on coloring your world until hard frost. If you neglect them and let them get parched, they may look half-dead, but just revive ‘em with a pint, as the Irish say — though of water, not of ale. They’ll perk up right away. You can get the spreading type, like this:

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